Shattered Destinies
by hunter 139
Summary: After the Tidal Wave, the rest of the multiverse was left to pick up the pieces of what the Flood left behind. But new forces arise in the power vacuum, bringing new and old dangers with them. Sequel to Shadow of Order. Multicrossover.
1. Changing Times

**And so we begin a new collection of one-shots, though these will be more connected to each other due to the events that they follow. Suffice to say though, the aftermath of the Tidal Wave has given me some interesting stories to tell, which we shall see shortly.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own, Bionicle, Halo or anything else mentioned in this story.**

* * *

Mata Nui stood overlooking the massive waterfalls that fed the megastructure, the sheer scale even dwarfing those on Spherus Magna. Despite the Installation's natural beauty, he found that he preferred his homeworld's own sights, as the Forerunner architecture felt too clinical when compared to the work of the Great Beings.

Still, there was a reason this place had been chosen for a meeting point: a combination of security issues and the desire to be diplomatic, which was something the new leader of the Republic could accept.

And in this case, it worked quite well. The meeting point was on the Ark itself, a location rather familiar for all parties involved. And the actual meeting spot in particular was a Forerunner platform overlooking the waterfalls and the Foundry in the center of the construct.

"Mata Nui." An AI interrupted. "The Shadow of Intent has arrived in orbit and the delegates are waiting."

"Send them here." The Great Spirit replied.

Seconds later, a trio of gold rifts appeared and three Sangheili exited, none of them showing any of the usual disorientation associated with first time travelers of a Forerunner teleportation grid. Two of the escort Elites were clad in mostly red armor, signalling their allegiance to the Swords of Sangheilios and its leader.

The leader in question was present as well. Arbiter Thel 'Vadam stood there, clad in his ceremonial armor, which had a slightly duller sheen of gold compared to Mata Nui's own.

"Mata Nui, I presume?" Thel asked, his voice curious. The Great Spirit nodded.

"It is an honor to meet you, Arbiter." Mata Nui held out his hand, and after a brief moment, Thel shook it. "I apologize for calling you away from your people on such short notice."

"After everything the Republic has done, I'm more than willing to answer." Thel replied. "Especially if your offer for membership is genuine."

"Indeed it is. I can promise you that."

Mata Nui led them into the Forerunner structure, which Thel took note of, as well as the outline of the cloaked sentries nearby. Strangely, Mata Nui didn't have his own guards close by, which meant that an Elite would theoretically have a good chance of landing a killing blow before the guards could respond.

This suggested one of three things: that Mata Nui was rather naive, that there were more concealed guards or sentries that couldn't be seen, or that the leader of the Republic was powerful enough that he didn't need an escort.

It took them less than a minute to reach a meeting room, where the Arbiter took a seat and Mata Nui did the same.

"Let's talk."

...

The two of them discussed what joining the Republic would entail, with Mata Nui noting that despite being an allied member, the Republic was not going to just hand over its most advanced technology immediately, a stipulation that the Arbiter was understanding about.

"We have proven it time and time again." Thel sighed. "Everyone seeks and covets advanced science and technology, only seeing the destructive potential and how they can use it to get ahead of everyone else."

"Wise words, Arbiter." Mata Nui agreed. "And far more accurate than many would like to admit."

Then the discussion moved to the UNSC, which Thel admitted he had difficulty trusting anymore, especially after the ONI scandal. The change in leadership after the Tidal Wave hadn't helped either.

"Lord Hood was killed during the Flood attack." Thel said sadly. "He died bravely fighting against the Parasite. His successors... aren't the most understanding type of people."

"Given the situation, I'm not sure I can blame them." Mata Nui replied. "Our latest intel reports don't have anything good to say about UEG territory..."

* * *

Truth be told, the UEG was in more disarray than they would like to admit: the dissemination of ONI's dirty secrets combined with the subsequent Flood attack had majorly shaken the populace's faith.

To add to their problems, much of the UNSC fleet had been destroyed during the Tidal Wave, and a recent skirmish with the upgraded First Order had only added to their losses. Currently, their remaining fleets were stretched thin trying to keep their territory under control, and it wasn't enough.

Unrest ruled a lot of the surviving outlying colonies, and as such, it suited the Banished's purposes just fine. They had had their eyes on some Forerunner ruins for some time now, but had been unable to do anything about it due to the colony's defenses.

But as a Banished strike force landed on the planet and made their way to the canyon it had been hidden in, they realized that even the new level of unrest wasn't going to make this mission any easier.

A not insignificant military force was present to protect the research site, which centered around a Forerunner bunker that had been buried underneath the surface. With the UNSC forces undoubtedly containing a number of Spartan-IVs, this would undoubtedly be a difficult task.

There was only one entrance on the ground, which was through the entrance to the canyon. The UNSC had fortified that with a massive gate, along with a duo of guard stations alongside them. The ground right in front of the gate was undoubtedly littered with mines, which required a UNSC IFF to cross over safely.

A further issue was the Forerunner based dome shield that surrounded the ruins and the campsite, making it impossible for the Banished to launch a full frontal assault. Even the Mega turrets they had available wouldn't be enough to breach that barrier, and orbital bombardment was out of the question.

Though with the help of their new friends, this would undoubtedly change. Voridus, Pavium and Lariska looked over the entrance to the Forerunner bunker, taking careful note of all the guards and vehicles that surrounded this place.

"This will be harder than expected." Pavium noted. "There are more guards than here than we planned for, and they seem to have activated the Forerunner defenses."

"Good thing we have our secret weapons." Voridus looked over at Lariska, who glared right back at him. "Assuming of course, that you're up to the task."

"We'll be able to do this." Lariska said simply. "I can guarantee it."

They headed back to the camp, where the rest of the Banished forces where already gearing up for their assault. The Stronghold building had already been constructed in the dense forest, with a cloaking tower to hide their presence.

Other vital buildings and structures surrounded it, while hundreds of Banished soldiers and dozens of vehicles were moving around, getting ready for the coming battle. However, the soldiers were keen to keep their distance from one spot in particular, which was where the second Dark Hunter was.

When the plan had been proposed to the leadership of the Shadow Collective, Banished and Dark Hunters, the Shadowed One had dispatched two of his best operatives to help. Lariska herself was a skilled warrior and assassin, but even she couldn't turn the tide alone.

But that was where the temporal manipulating Voporak came in. In truth, the two brothers were rather unnerved by the Dark Hunter in question, particularly Pavium, who was wondering what could actually beat the mutated Steltian.

He had gone over a number of scenarios in his mind under Atriox's orders, but the truth was that nothing the Banished had could feasibly hurt him outside of orbital bombardment, and even that wasn't a guarantee. If there was something that could bring him down, it would be well beyond the Banished's own methods.

Of course, that meant that he was also beyond the UNSC's own capabilities as well. And that meant that he was the key to this whole operation. The two Jiralhanae Brothers and Lariska approached Voporak, who grew more attentive as they approached.

"Well?"

"The mission is still ready to go." Pavium said, gesturing to Lariska and Voporak. "And this is what you two are going to do."

* * *

The first warning the UNSC had of the attack was when plasma mortars started landing on their fortifications, flash frying the outlying positions immediately. The Banished Shrouds had kept the Wraiths in concealment long enough to get them into an ideal bombardment spot, which was followed up by a barrage of missiles from the Blisterbacks.

UNSC artillery was quick to respond in kind, as Scorpions, Grizzlies and Kodiaks unleashed their own firepower. Meanwhile, the bombardment allowed the Banished soldiers to move in, leapfrogging from cover to cover and providing what escort they could.

At the gate just outside the shield, UNSC marksmen were quick to put an end to any Banished soldiers that stuck their heads out for too long, while also marking clusters of infantry and vehicles for their artillery to deal with.

Unfortunately, none of the snipers had noticed the being that was climbing up the walls beneath them, and by the time they did, Lariska had either driven or thrown her daggers into their throats, her strength and blades enough to overcome the weaker energy shields that protected them.

Once that was dealt with, she moved to the gate itself. Unfortunately, it was locked, but Voporak was more than happy to provide a key. The two of them had been under the cover of another Shroud, one that had gone unnoticed amongst the sound and fury of the Banished's frontal assault.

While Lariska made her way up to the guard towers, Voporak acted as a walking mine clearance device, extending his temporal field below the ground, carving into the dirt and destroying the mines beyond repair.

Once they were close enough, Lariska had gone ahead to dispatch the guards, leaving no one alive to see Voporak walk up to the gate. Of course, the security cameras were another matter, and the AI in charge of coordinating the defense could see everything.

He didn't know what this strange being was, but the AI was confident that whatever unusual powers or skills the being may have wouldn't be able to breach the gate that had been reinforced with Forerunner alloys.

That perception was proven dead wrong as Voporak approached and the gate lost its structural integrity, breaking apart and collapsing as if was made of cardboard. The Steltian didn't even have to lay a finger on the metal for it to simply disintegrate.

Voporak didn't stop, ignoring the fire from the auto turrets as he walked up to the dome shield that surrounded the base. The Forerunners had designed their creations to endure for a very long time. Of course, so had the Great Beings.

Voporak simply increased his temporal field, accelerating the shield through time by hundreds of thousands of years. It soon overloaded and shut down, just as the Banished forces began making their way after the two Dark Hunters.

Meanwhile, the Spartans among the UNSC had already made their preparations to deal with the Banished, as Hornets and Wasps lifted off to deal with the Banshees in the sky. Unfortunately, most of the ground forces had one target that they needed to get rid of, and it was the one being they couldn't.

The UNSC unleashed their entire arsenal, as all the vehicles and soldiers fired at one being. Bullets, lasers, plasma, Rockets, grenades, hard light and more. Every bit of it failed to even touch Voporak, who just stood there with his arms crossed as his temporal field stopped everything before it could hit him.

Meanwhile, Lariska moved up as well and began picking off the more distracted sentries. This drew the attention of the Spartans, who began firing on her and forcing the Dark Hunter to take cover.

This was all part of the plan, and the distracted Spartans found themselves too preoccupied to avoid being struck by Rhotuka spinners. At first glance, the Spartans seemed unaffected, but no one on the UNSC side realized what the effects of Voporak's spinner were until Lariska had killed the lead Spartan, who had been reacting to the Dark Hunter's movements from seconds ago.

The other Spartans never noticed anything at all when Sangheili Rangers and Jackal Snipers simply shot them all in the head from afar. In mere seconds, every Spartan guarding the dig site was dead.

The Banished forces had followed in the distraction, and started unveiling the upgrades that had been obtained from the Energized Protodermis. Voridus swing his blades in an arc, unleashing a blast that tore through a Warthog.

A Warlord's gravity hammer picked up a tank and used it to crush a Kodiak. Brute Grenadiers unleashed electrified acid grenades that ate through fortifications and soldiers alike. Pavium's grenade launcher disabled vehicles, leaving them at the mercy of other Grunts and Brutes.

The battle didn't take much longer after that, and soon Voridus, Pavium, Lariska and Voporak were walking through the ruined battlefield that was now littered with corpses.

Soon, the procession had arrived at the door to the bunker, the grey metal towering over them. Voporak moved to continue his usual method of getting past obstacles, but Voridus moved in front of him, taking care not to actually get within his time field.

"Why don't you let me handle this?" The Brute suggested. "This is a job that requires finesse."

With a glance at Lariska, who nodded, Voporak stood back and let the Jiralhanae expert go to work. Within moments, the door opened and Banished forces moved inside to finish off whatever stragglers were cowering within.

The structure in question contained a map to a number of Forerunner structures that existed throughout their galaxy. However, that knowledge was heavily encrypted, and nowhere near as comprehensive as the Absolute Record. Still, it contained the information that the Banished were looking for.

"Download everything." Pavium ordered. "Scavenge whatever you can and set the charges. We have what we came for."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this first chapter. Suffice to say, this will have important ramifications down the road. How and why though, well, that's knowledge that will come later.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	2. Machinations

**You know, I said this was a collection of one-shots and that's still true. However, they will end up more closely connected as this story continues to move forward, especially with everything that happens coming up.**

 **Anyway, let's dive right into the next chapter. Now, this one won't be as action-packed as the last one, but there are some important events to take note of, though they may not seem so important right now.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Bionicle or any other franchise that appears in this story.**

* * *

Kylo Ren stalked through the halls of the Supremacy, the First Order soldiers parting to ensure his path wouldn't be interrupted. The fear that emanated from those weak fools could be felt through the Force, causing the darksider to sneer behind his helmet.

The Knights of Ren had their origins at the hands of the Sith Lumiya, who had gathered several promising Force candidates in the desire to create a shadow Sith Order as a backup plan in the event of her death.

Unfortunately, her death had come to pass, along with those of Jacen Solo and Alema Rar. They had managed to evade the detection of the Jedi over the years as the multiverse opened up and new threats emerged.

But things had changed after the Tidal Wave. Somehow, this First Order had managed to uncover their existence and location, and their Supreme Leader had arrived personally to 'recruit' their order into the fold.

Kylo had been the leader and had initially refused, but a brief battle had ensued and the leader of the Knights of Ren had found himself submitting to the Supreme Leader under the pain of Force Lightning.

Ren's rage burned at that memory, fueling his power. But regardless of the thought, he kept his emotions in check. It was best to learn from this Supreme Leader and his forces before taking over, as was the way of the Sith.

Suddenly, Kylo paused in the middle of the hallway, feeling intense fear fall over him. Fear that he wasn't strong enough, fear that he would never gain true attachment to the Dark Side and follow in the footsteps of the greatest Sith Lords to ever live.

The fear was suddenly replaced with white hot anger, on a level he had never felt before. His red lighsaber ignited, the blade and emitters at the side of the hilt reflecting the rage that ran through his mind.

In a blind fury, he carved up the nearest terminal with the unstable blade, feeling more and more at home with the emotions inside of him, letting the Force dictate his actions as he tore the expensive equipment apart.

And just as suddenly as the anger appeared, it vanished, leaving his mind clear as he realized several blasters were pointed at him. A confused embarrassment swept through his mind as he quickly shut off the lightsaber and returned it to his belt, which reluctantly caused the Stormtroopers to lower their guns.

Kylo Ren said nothing as he walked away, wondering just what had caused such a surge of intense emotions in him. He had never felt rage like that, nor had he ever felt such a level of fear for no reason.

As he stalked through the halls, he nearly walked right into Snoke's personal Dark Trooper, causing him to briefly pause before snarling. "Out of my way, droid." Kylo snapped.

For a second, it seemed like the Dark Trooper wouldn't do as requested, but then it stepped just slightly to the side, allowing the Darksider to get past. So lost in his own thoughts, Kylo never saw the droid's eyes following him.

 _Interesting._

* * *

"We have the data." Pavium reported. "It'll take some time to decrypt, but Voridus is working on that right now."

"And the Dark Hunters?" Atriox asked. "How was their performance?" Pavium hesitated before speaking again.

"They've proven their value." The Brute replied. "Honestly, I'm not sure we would've gotten past the shield if not for Voporak." Atriox nodded.

"I'll expect your full report shortly. Get back to our space."

Pavium nodded as the hologram vanished, leaving the Banished warmaster alone in the meeting room with Darth Maul and the Shadowed One, the latter having a smirk on his face.

"Well, do my Hunters meet your approval?"

"They do." Atriox replied. "Your agents are certainly powerful."

"They are the best at what they do."

"So it would seem." Maul agreed, then turned back to Atriox. "And if they have found Forerunner technology, this certainly will be a great boon to us."

They weren't wrong: thanks to the Energized Protodermis owned by the Dark Hunters, their technology had already increased by leaps and bounds, keeping the criminal factions relevant in such a changing multiverse.

"In the meantime, we need to continue building our forces up before the First Order or Republic come for us." Atriox said, pulling out a data pad. "Despite our latest advantages, we still have no way to replenish our numbers so easily."

"I have an idea for that." Maul replied. "Though it all depends on what Miss Khai finds on her mission."

...

Vestara Khai made her way through the mech factory on Capek, looking over the abandoned production lines. Behind her was her escort of mercenaries, led by the soldier known as Kilo Nosnido, who was eyeing the rusted LOKI mechs with noticeable distaste.

The young Sith herself felt herself chafing at this: she had been sent to a old factory that had been shut down years ago by Commander Shepard, all in the vain hope of finding a way to restart this whole facility.

Maul had explained what he was after, of course: the Sith wanted to increase their production of robotic soldiers in order to supplement the remaining Shadow Collective soldiers, but what he hadn't explained was why she was the one overseeing this.

She did know the reason, of course: Darth Maul didn't trust her, and assigning menial tasks to her was to remind the Keshiri who held the real power here. Though with her current ally, even she had to wonder whether Maul actually held any power at all.

Kilo wasn't a Force-user, that much she could determine, but she still didn't have the faintest idea of what he was or where he came from, and he was keeping those details close to his chest.

She was currently standing in the ruined control room by herself, overlooking the solders picking through the wreckage to ensure that no traps remained. More specifically, she was watching Kilo as he was setting to his assigned task, which was why it was shocking when his voice came from behind her.

"I'm afraid you're not my type." She spun to see him standing there, or rather the realistic hologram of him, which she discovered by throwing a small piece of debris through him. "Sorry, was that too strong?"

"I'm just trying to figure you out." Vestara admitted, ignoring his jab. "Why are you even here? You could abandon the Shadow Collective and they'd never be able to find you."

"Of course I could." Kilo admitted. "I could also take Maul's place without anyone noticing, if I was so inclined. I've done that before, and I've spent most of my life just blending in, manipulating people and gaining power for myself. But that's not who I want to be anymore."

"Then why come to me? I'm a Sith, that's what we do. Why would you think I'd make a good ally?"

"Oh please little one, you're no more a Sith than I am a mercenary." Kilo shrugged. "Maybe you were a good Sith in the past, but that's not what you want anymore."

"And how do you know what I want?" Vestara snapped. "Being a Sith is what I was raised to be, it's what I'm good at."

"But it's not what you really _want_ , is it?" Her ally countered. "I know your history, Vestara, I've done my research. So let me ask you this: are you content with being the one thing you've been all your life? Or do you want to be better?"

The incorporeal illusion vanished before she could answer, leaving Vestara alone with her thoughts.

...

Hazel, Watts, Emerald and Mercury stood in the middle of one of the still surviving forests near Mistral, surrounded by a pack of Grimm. They were prepared to fight through them, but that wasn't necessary quite yet, as Salem herself suddenly appeared from a portal in the ground.

"I'm disappointed." Salem said simply. "Is your faith so easily shaken by one little event?"

"Event?" Emarald repeated incredulously.

"Try apocalypse." Mercury added. "The Grimm were aiding those... things!"

"I've served you faithfully for years." Watts said, his face ashen and in shock. "But I could never-how could you?"

"Are you really so surprised?" Salem asked, with a smirk on her face. "When you joined my side, did none of you consider what that actually meant? Why I wanted the Relics?"

"You told us you wanted revenge on Ozpin." Hazel growled. "You wanted justice for what he had done. But this-" He gestured to the landscape around him. "You served those things. You want us to serve those... monsters."

"I take it that you wish to leave my employ?" The four of them either pulled out their weapons or got into a combat ready position. "I'm afraid that's not going to happen. We still require your services, one way or another."

"We?" Hazel repeated.

That was all anyone had time to ask before a monstrous figure appeared right beside Salem, fading into view. The figure itself immediately fired blue bolts of energy from its arm cannon, striking the disloyal minions of Salem before they could actually attack.

The energy effortlessly pierced their Aura, sending all of them down and knocking them all unconscious. The alien figure then fired seemingly blindly into the trees, and a second later, Adam Taurus fell to the forest floor as Salem and the other looked on.

A close examination of the downed humans and Faunus revealed that their veins had gained a cerulean glow, indicating that the attack worked as planned. Salem turned to her erstwhile ally, a question on her lips.

"This will keep them under control?" The figure silently nodded. "What about their power?" A shake of the head this time. "Pity, after everything that's happened, it would've been nice."

Suddenly, the dark figure groaned and fell to one knee, clutching her chest in pain. The moment passed before Salem could do anything about it, but the indication was clear: her ally was slowly weakening.

"I guess that means we'll have to leave soon?" Another nod answered her. "Damn it. I really did want to watch Ozpin burn." The figure simply shook her head and then nodded.

A beam from her arm cannon opened another rift and the two allies stepped right through it. The portal closed just as the four humans and one Faunus began to wake, their eyes now a glowing blue.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Events are slowly falling into place, I can guarantee that much. Now the next few chapters are likely going to skip ahead a bit in time, but I'm not going to say when as of yet. Truth be told, I'm still working out the details myself.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	3. Operations

**In memory of Stan Lee.**

 **Alright, it's time to begin the next chapter. This one will have a bit more action than the previous one, but it will also be a bit more random. Truth be told, they're mostly little moments that will set up some bigger events that come later. But with that said, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, the MCU, Young Justice or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Earth-16

Wally West aka Kid Flash ran through the streets of Palo Alto, trying to draw his opponent's strange weapon away so that his wife could take him down. But their enemy was smart enough to realize that, and didn't fall for the bait.

The time in the aftermath of the Flood attack had both been incredibly stressful and simultaneously rather relaxing. It was stressful mainly due to the rebuilding process and the period of mourning, but it was also much more relaxing because the vast majority of the supervillain population in Belle Reve and Arkham had been consumed during the Tidal Wave.

While Wally would never wish that fate on anyone, it did mean that a lot of the League's more menacing opponents were no longer a problem, and with the Light no longer in the picture, it also meant that their Earth was enjoying a rather unprecedented level of peace.

Of course, that all changed when their were reports of a break-in at a number of food stores, all said to have been done by a strange blue man with a Southern sounding accent.

Wally and Artemis had managed to track this guy down, but when they tried to arrest him, he started whistling and a red and glowing arrow shot out of his pouch, and things had quickly snowballed when it broke Artemis' bow before she could react.

The arrow was certainly fast, fast enough to actually pose a danger to Wally, who had mostly been forced on the defensive while Artemis tried to engage him in hand to hand combat. But the blue alien was certainly tougher than he looked, and held his own.

But in a moment when their adversary's arrow was moving towards Artemis, Wally followed and managed to grab hold of it in mid flight before decking the blue alien in the face. Once that was done, Artemis pulled out an arrow of her own and jammed it towards his mouth, releasing a bind that gagged him and kept him from whistling.

"Well, this is a new one." Artemis muttered. "Do we have anything on him?"

"Not from the League's old databanks." Wally replied, then shrugged. "Still, we know who to ask."

...

Aboard the Watchtower, M'gann and J'onn had pulled the information from their newest captive's mind, while he was still spitting alien curses at them. Once they had left, M'gann revealed what they knew.

"His name is Yondu Udonta and he was the head of a pirate gang called the Ravagers." M'gann shook her head. "Strange thing is, he thinks he died fighting a sentient planet."

"It appears our guest is in the wrong universe." One of the Republic's AIs appeared on a nearby holopad. "We have records of a Yondu Udonta from the universe of Earth-199999. It seems we have a call to make."

...

"Why are we here, again?" Rocket asked, yawning once more.

"The Republic said they wanted to talk to us." Gamora said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe we should be more worried."

"Why, it's not like we've done anything really bad..." Quill trailed off as he thought about it. "... at least not in the past month."

When the Republic had made their offer after the Tidal Wave, the Guardians of the Galaxy had declined any formal employment, but were willing to take any jobs they had for a price. To that end, the Republic had left them one of their communication devices, which had only been used sporadically until today, where they were requested to meet up with one of their vessels to talk about a visitor.

Now the Guardians were standing aboard one of the Republic's ships, the Benatar not too far away. Mantis was looking around with undisguised awe while Quill had to keep Rocket from trying to steal anything, noting the multitude of armed guards and how they'd probably be unhappy with any theft.

Nebula was carefully watching the guards herself, calculating how best to take them down if it came to a fight. Meanwhile, Groot was still playing one of Quill's games, barely paying attention to anything.

Overall, the Guardians would hardly seem to be acting different, but to anyone who knew them, it wasn't hard to miss the more dour mood than normal amongst them. Drax's loss had hit them all fairly hard and they were coping with the grief in their own ways.

"Hey computer lady." Rocket called out to a nearby pedestal, where a holographic AI appeared. "Why exactly were we called here again?"

"Because you're posting bail." The AI replied, drawing raised eyebrows from everyone. "More specifically, we found someone you know displaced from his home universe. We figured you'd like to see him first hand."

"Wait, who are we picking up?" Quill asked, but the answer came when a flash of gold light appeared and a figure was deposited right in front of them. Almost instantly, the Kree doubled over and lost is lunch."

"Warn me next time!" He snapped once he stopped, but the rest of the Guardians were too stunned by the speaker to react for a second.

"Yondu?" Quill finally spoke again. "Is that you?" Yondu looked up and a wide grin broke over his face.

"Quill!" He gleefully walked over and grabbed his foster son in a tight hug. "Boy, am I glad to see you." For once, Quill was speechless, and just wrapped his own arms around Yondu, with tears crawling down his cheeks.

"We thought you were dead." Quill said when Yondu finally broke their hug. "We gave you a Ravager funeral. Everyone was there."

"How in the hell are you even alive?" Rocket interjected, though his voice had a lot less bite to it than normal.

"I honestly don't know." Yondu admitted. "These Republic guys said something about a Tidal Wave..." Dark looks appeared on all the Guardians as he said that. "Sore topic, I take it?"

"You could say that." Nebula agreed. "And I thought Thanos was bad."

"I figure I've missed quite a bit then." Yondu surmised.

"Where to even begin?"

* * *

The planet of Mygeeto had a long history throughout the galaxy, being one of the Headquarters of the Intergalactic Banking Clan and a financial capital world for the Empire and later Imperial Remnant.

It was undoubtedly why the Flood had ravaged the planet during the Tidal Wave, and it was why the Shadow Collective and Banished forces had launched a raid against the world. It seemed that the criminal factions were getting much bolder, and rather worryingly, their technology seemed far more advanced than it had previously.

The raiding fleet had broken through the Remnant fleet around the world and were currently looting several cities for anything they could get their hands on. The First Order had received a distress signal from the planet and a fleet had already begun engaging the criminals in orbit.

Meanwhile several landing transports had already begun making their descent onto the frigid world, with one of the ships containing two of the First Order's newest members. This mission was to be a test of their abilities and patience, the first of which was already being tested before they had even landed.

"Once we are on the ground, we will counter attack these criminals and wipe them off the planet." Red Skull said. "Due to this world's value, orbital bombardment will be prohibited, so don't expect much in the way of orbital support. Any questions?" There were none from the Stormtroopers, but there was one elsewhere.

"What are the rules of engagement regarding civilians?" Raven asked, her bored tone suggesting that she didn't really care.

"Collateral damage is acceptable, but not to the Imperial Remnant." He replied, a tone of annoyance tinging his own voice. "Either rescue who you can or ensure that their bodies are never found."

Once the briefing was over, Red Skull pulled Raven aside, gripping her shoulder firmly as he led her away from the bulk of the Stormtroopers. "Now, your part in this operation is very crucial." He said, turning the Spring Maiden to face him. "I trust a women like you will be able to handle this?"

"Just stay out of my way." Raven jerked her shoulder, pulling Skull's hand away. "I can't guarantee your safety if you don't."

...

Several minutes later

The Shadow Collective forces had traveled fairly light, with only light vehicles and infantry to increase their effectiveness. Death Watch troops formed the backbone of those squads, their armor allowing them to serve a variety of roles.

One such squad was looting through a bank in one of the bridge top cities, as reports were claiming that the First Order had arrived in force to drive them off the planet. The mixed species team was quick to load their loot into one of their cloaking transports and were soon on their way as the sound of fighting grew closer.

But their escape became compromised as a freak blizzard appeared, reducing visibility to near zero. The convoy slowed to a crawl as they tried to make their way through the storm, with the Death Watch soldiers forced to hitch a ride as their packs became useless from the ice and snow.

The first clue that they were under attack was when the speeder scouts were suddenly perforated by shards of ice, knocking them off their vehicles and leaving blood to stain the snow.

The convoy quickly ground to a halt as the mercenaries and Mandalorians formed a defensive perimeter. Unfortunately, that didn't help them when Raven started cutting them down. She moved between soldiers in the blink of an eye, her sword carving the gaps in their armor before she moved onto the next one.

Disjointed blaster bolts and projectiles lit up the storm, which mainly served to reveal their shooter's locations. The few lucky hits that struck Raven were deflected by her Aura, and she was quick to retaliate, using her power to burn the offenders.

Eventually, three of the Mandalorians started using their flamethrowers in an effort to take her down that way, but she countered by freezing the Mandalorians in their tracks, which quickly dissipated the flames.

In less than a minute, the criminal forces had been reduced to one cowering Batarian, who started firing blindly at any random shape that appeared in the blizzard. That quickly came to an end when Raven wrenched the gun out of his hand and hit him in the face with it, knocking off his helmet and some of his teeth. Before he could try anything else, Raven grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the wreckage of his skiff.

"Wh-what do you want?!"

"The location of your command post would be a big help." Raven growled, tightening her grip.

"Ok, OK!" The Batarian gasped, holding up his omni-tool, where a map appeared. "They're right here." He pointed to a red blinking dot.

"That's all I needed to know." She froze the Batarian solid, before shapeshifting into a bird and making her way to the location in question.

...

By the time she arrived, the First Order's counter attack was making itself known and the evacuation of the criminal forces had already begun. Banished and Shadow Collective forces were retreating to their dropships, with one Banished Lich already beginning to lift off from the ground.

The relatively calm evacuation came to a halt when a bolt of lightning stuck the Lich's engines, causing the dropship to come crashing to the ground and taking out another couple of transports in the process.

To their credit, many of the soldiers recovered quickly and began taking up defensive positions, getting ready to repel whatever came next. They weren't expecting more lightning to start coming down, specifically targeting the largest collections of soldiers in sight.

The military discipline quickly fell before this onslaught, which allowed the First Order forces to begin their direct attack against the command post almost completely unopposed. Red Skull was leading the charge, his disrupter hitting with pinpoint accuracy and disintegrating unshielded soldiers with a single shot.

Between the unexpected First Order attack and the Maiden in their midst, the Shadow Collective and Banished forces were quick to fall, with Red Skull ordering them to take no prisoners. As the soldiers followed his instructions, Red Skull turned his gaze to Raven, with a look that made her skin crawl.

"Very impressive." He admitted. "Especially for... someone like you." The urge to cut this creep down was difficult to ignore, but Raven settled with a death glare before walking away.

"Sir." One of the Stormtroopers walked up to their commander. "The fleet reports that the criminal scum have retreated. Ground teams are mopping up the survivors now."

"Very good. Dismissed." Once the soldier left, Red Skull pulled out a holoprojector. Still marveling at the advanced piece of technology, he sent out a call to General Hux, which was quickly received by a sour looking First Order general.

"General, the planet Mygeeto is secured." He reported. "No survivors on the criminal side."

"I suppose that's one good piece of news to come today." Hux murmured, causing Red Skull to raise an eyebrow.

"What happened?"

"We just lost one of our factories." Hux replied. "We believe the Dark Hunters are involved."

* * *

Though the Republic had made dealing with the Dark Hunters, the Shadow Collective and Banished one of their top priorities, it had occurred to Republic High Command that the presence of the former allowed for some excellent opportunities for false flag operations against the First Order.

This was an idea that the Order of Mata Nui were keen to capitalize on, and with their request granted, dispatched two operatives to a fighter factory hidden on a nameless moon. The factory was well guarded, which was why the Order had sent two individuals who's powers were ideal for wetwork.

A number of Stormtroopers were guarding the auxiliary hanger, where it was theoretically possible for an intruder to sneak in. Despite their diligence, none of the Stormtroopers spotted a cloud of black crystalline shards as they floated through the hanger, nor did anyone notice when those crystal shards formed themselves into an ebon armored biomechanical figure in front of the console next to the hanger doors.

The Stormtroopers finally did notice when the hanger doors started to open and rushed toward the console. Making sure to close the doors and secure the hanger, the soldiers quickly reversed the opening doors and began scanning the area to check for any infiltrators.

"It seems to have been a malfunction." One of the Stormtroopers said once the sweep was done. "We're detecting no signs of life."

"Acknowledged, return to your patrols."

The soldiers did just that, with no one any the wiser as to the two Order members in their midst. In a secluded corner of the hanger, the crystals reassembled into the ebon armored figure, who simply waited quietly for some unseen cue. She didn't have to wait long.

"Looks like the coast is clear." An unseen voice whispered from behind some crates. "They didn't see anything."

"Good." Johmak shook her head. "Then we need to do this quickly. We can theoretically pass ourselves off as a Dark Hunter raid, but all the same, I'd rather minimize any exposure."

"No need to worry about that from me." Jerbraz said. "These jammers will keep any other sensors from detecting me."

"They better." Johmak peeked around the corner and saw nothing, exactly as she was hoping to see from her comrade. "You still have the charges?"

"Enough to turn this whole place into ash."

"Good. Make your way to the reactor. I'll head to the control room." And with that said, Johmak shattered into a million pieces, leaving Jerbraz to make his way unseen.

...

It didn't take very long to find the control room, and Johmak was able to slip through the door as another officer was heading out, so buried in her datapad that she missed the cloud of crystalline shards above her.

Inside the room, the staffers consisted of only two officers, six technicians and a four guards in the corners. Wasting no time, Johmak reassembled herself right behind two officers and hit them in the back of the head with her shield.

The two fell dead instantly, and the split second of surprise and hesitation from the other workers gave Johmak enough time to grab an officer's blaster, which she she used to gun down three Stormtroopers just as they were aiming at her.

She managed to get her shield between the fourth Stormtrooper, blocking his blaster bolt while she gunned down the technicians as they attempted to go for the alarm. Once they were all dead and her blaster empty, she hurled it at the remaining Stormtrooper, staggering him long enough to bash him in the face with her shield.

He fell to the ground in a heap, his helmet crumpled and hiding the face that had undoubtedly been smashed in. Satisfied that the control room was secure, she set to work on the computers. First she shut down the communication relay, then deleted all the information regarding the fighters being built here, making sure that the data wouldn't go to the offsite facility.

With that done, she began sealing some doors while opening others, ensuring that she and Jerbraz had an easy way in and out. As a final action, she made sure the control room doors were locked down to keep her sabotage from being undone, then opened up all the vents.

Shattering herself once more, she slipped out through the vents.

...

While Johmak was busy dealing with the control room, Jerbraz had made it to the reactor, setting the charges that would blow this place sky high. But while planting the explosives, one of the Stormtrooper guards stumbled into him after being knocked off balance.

The soldier was quick to realize that someone was there, but before he could even make a sound, Jerbraz swung his sword and decapitated him, which to any onlookers would've looked like the soldier's head just came flying off for no reason.

Biting back a curse, Jerbraz kicked the body and head off the catwalk, already knowing that it would be discovered eventually. Moving quickly, he finished setting the charges around the reactor room and made his way out just as the alarm sounded.

Fortunately, resistance between the reactor room and the extraction point was minimal, proving that Johmak had finished her part in the mission. After sneaking his way past a few guards, he had reached the hanger doors, where multiple bodies littered the ground. The ebon armored warrior was still floating there, reforming when Jerbraz tapped his sword against the ground three times.

"About time." Johmak muttered. "Did you plant all the charges?"

"It's done." Her partner replied. "In a few minutes, this place will be a pile of rubble."

"Good, then let's get out of here."

Soon, the two of them were rocketing away in a dropship that looked just like one of the Shadow Collective troop transports, which the First Order sensors were able to make note of before the shuttle vanished into FTL speeds.

That was the last piece of data the First Order was able to send back to command before the hidden charges detonated, causing the reactor to overload, creating a massive sphere of light that swallowed the factory. Once they confirmed that the detonation signal had transmitted, the Order members contacted their base.

"Control, this is Red 1." Johmak said. "The operation was a complete success."

* * *

Despite Wakanda's advanced nature being known for the past two years, somehow Tony Stark and Shuri had never directly met. Of course, after Mata Nui had suggested a meeting of the minds with some of the greatest minds on the planet, that was about to change.

Of course, Bruce Banner couldn't be there, and with Hank Pym not responding and Peter Parker still in high school, which primarily left the head of Stark Industries and the Princess of Wakanda as the two greatest scientific minds available.

As it turned out, Shuri and Tony had hit it off fairly well, after the initial "I'm smarter, no I'm smarter," meeting of the minds. And when the two of them were given the offer to work with the Republic, they had all but jumped at the call.

Now, the two of them were waiting in Wakanda, specifically Shuri's lab. Waiting with them were multiple guards, T'Challa and Okoye, on the off chance that anything they did ended up being hostile.

The Republic had agreed to meet them on their world, but hadn't actually said how they would be coming to meet them. Any conversation that was going on was interrupted when an alarm on Shuri's bead activated.

"We're tracking a ship in orbit." She said, smirking slightly when Tony checked his own device and found that his own detection software hadn't noticed yet. "Looks like it's in a holding pattern over Wakanda."

"I'm guessing that's our guests then." Tony looked around then at the hologram. "Did they say how they'd be arriving?"

Right as he asked that question, the air in front of them warped, causing the Wakandan guards to raise their spears. An instant later, the Republic delegation appeared, with a ten foot tall robotic being in the center. He was clad in grey-green armor and wearing a mask that looked like a work of art.

Besides the robot, there were two other aliens that strangely looked like pink gasbags with tentacles. The remaining delegation were all humanoid and clad in advanced armor, their weapons in a rest position.

"Apologies for the abrupt entry." The robotic figure said. "I simply thought it more prudent to teleport here and save some time." At their king's gesture, the guards lowered their weapons.

"You must be Artakha." T'Challa walked up and offered his hand, which the robot shook. "Welcome to Wakanda."

After a brief round of introductions, the science team was eager to actually meet and discuss what they would be doing, with T'Challa and Okoye leaving to discuss things with the elders and the Republic delegates.

Shortly afterward, most of the guards and Republic soldiers left as well, waiting beyond the lab door. However, one of the soldiers stayed behind, as did the two pink aliens, who were looking around eagerly at the lab in question.

The soldier's armor and weapon suddenly vanished, revealing a human clad underneath. He introduced himself as a Republic technician named Dalton, but unsurprisingly, the two brilliant minds on their world were much more interested in what had just happened to his armor.

"Is that nanotech?" Shuri asked.

"Mixed with hard light." Dalton replied. "Standard issue for the Republic at this point."

"You know, I've gotta ask:" That was Tony speaking this time. "What's with the pink balloons?"

"You mean the Huragok?" Their liaison clarified. "They're biological supercomputers capable of repairing and improving almost any piece of technology."

"Really?"

"Oh, really?"

Shuri and Tony had different tones when they asked that, both being skeptical but the latter far more vocal in his skepticism. Artakha just smirked at the reaction and shook his head in amusement.

"Give it a try." The builder offered. "You will be impressed."

To that end, Shuri took one of her communication beads and handed it to the Engineer, who grasped the tiny device in one of its tentacles. Before the stunned eyes of the two humans, the ends of the tentacles split into thousands of tiny cilia that disassembled and reassembled the Vibranium device, all in a matter of seconds.

The Huragok then handed the bead back to Shuri, who took it and looked it over. Even for her, she noticed that the device seemed to have been changed, even thought it looked the same. The Huragok started whistling, which their escort translated.

"He said that the comms range has been increased to interplanetary distances and that minor inefficiencies in the design have been corrected."

"Incredible." Shuri murmured. Tony however, wasn't as thrilled, backing away when the Engineer drifted toward him, staring at the Arc Reactor on his chest.

"Uh, uh. You're not touching that." Stark sent a glare at the Republic technician, who responded by whistling a tune. The Huragok retreated from Tony, a rejected look on its six-eyed face. "Yeah, the puppy dog eyes aren't going to work on me."

"So, now that that's out of the way, I suggest we get to work."

...

The initial meeting wasn't really expected to get anything done, at least not yet. It was more to discuss their strengths and weakness as well as how to work together. More often than not, Artakha was the one who had to keep the other two from squabbling, being undoubtedly the most mature out of all of them.

He also suggested getting the aid of Asgardian crafters, but Tony had explained that they were busy building their own sanctuary, though he admitted they might come by later.

For her part, Shuri was rather interested to learn about Protodermis, specifically how to work it. She had studied what she could from Republic records, and from what she could tell, while it wasn't nearly as durable, Protodermis had even more versatility than Vibranium, especially if it could create organic as well as inorganic structures.

Artakha had explained as best as he could, offering to provide a supply of protodermis for the other two to work with in exchange for samples of Vibranium and some of Tony's more advanced pieces of technology. Eventually, the conversation shifted towards a topic the two humans were especially curious about.

"What's with the Mask?"

"The Mask of Creation." Artakha explained. "Forged by the Great Beings themselves."

"So what does it actually do?" Shuri asked. "I seriously doubt it's merely decorative."

"Very wise, little one. The Mask allows me to imagine a completed product from raw materials and gives me the knowledge of how to construct it. If I already know how to create an object, the Mask will create it for me."

"Wow." Tony was looking at the mask with envy. "I certainly wouldn't mind something like that to work with."

"Indeed. I have certainly had much use with it over the millennia. Actually, there is a question I would like to ask you, Mr. Stark." Artakha said. "Would you know how to contact Doctor Strange?"

...

Doctor Strange walked out of the Sling Ring portal into the depths of a strange dark tunnel. Glowing stones lined the darkened walls, generating just enough light to see in the gloom.

"Doctor Strange." Mata Nui stepped forward and greeted him from the dark. "It's a pleasure to see you again." He held out a hand to shake, which Strange took.

"Mata Nui." He replied. "The pleasure is all mine I suppose. Though I must admit, I'm not sure why you called me, specifically."

"I suppose we shall get to business then." Mata Nui gestured for the Sorcerer to follow as they walked into the tunnel. "From what I understand, the Mystics of Kamar-Taj had protected the Time Stone for thousands of years."

"Until I handed it to Thanos." Strange bitterly added, which drew a raised eyebrow.

"Surely your peers aren't blaming you for that?" The Great Spirit asked. "You couldn't have known what the Flood were doing."

"They took it fairly well." Strange admitted. "But that's not what bothers me." Mata Nui said nothing, allowing Strange to continue at this own time. "I knew what would happen if Thanos took the Stone, I knew that I would be condemning half the universe to death, myself included. 14 million scenarios, and the one I chose was the only one where we had a chance of winning. At least, that's what I thought."

"And when that scenario didn't come to pass, you fear that your judgement was mistaken?"

"Look what happened." Strange countered. "The Flood ravaged the multiverse, and everyone is still picking up the pieces. I was prepared to die to protect the Stone. Maybe I should've done that instead of giving away the Time Stone and making the Flood's job even easier."

"You are consumed by 'What If?' scenarios in your mind." Mata Nui nodded in understanding. "For what it's worth, the Flood probably would've found and taken the Stone anyway."

"That's not filling me with comfort." Strange snarked, but Mata Nui shook his head.

"We all have regrets, for mistakes we made in our lives or events beyond our control. Even to this day, there are so many things I wish I had done differently. And after 100,000 years there are still many things I regret. But we cannot let ourselves be consumed by them, and constantly wondering whether things could've been different won't help us."

"That's kind of a cliche answer, don't you think?" Strange raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps." Mata Nui shrugged. "But that doesn't make it any less true."

"Fair enough." Strange sighed. "Maybe someday, I'll forgive myself."

"We can't truly change our past." The two of them arrived in front of a massive door. "But perhaps we can get a second chance to make things right. And that's what I'm offering you, today."

"Looks secure." Strange noted the door in question, sensing that even magic couldn't breach this vault. "What's in it?"

"A treasure beyond imagining." A second voice appeared out of nowhere seconds before another figure did. He was shorter than Mata Nui, with his color scheme primarily orange and red, holding a strange staff in one hand and stroking the end of his mask with the other. "A treasure I am told you may be familiar with."

"Doctor Strange, this is Turaga Vakama." Mata Nui introduced the second arrival. "He's one of only three individuals who can access this vault."

"And I'm guessing you and the former Supreme Commander were the other two?" There was a brief nod in confirmation, causing Strange to whistle. "It's certainly well protected. But why show me this?"

"As I said, Doctor. We're willing to offer you a second chance."

Mata Nui placed his hand on the vault door, which released an array of scanners around the room. After a brief moment where several turrets appeared in the tunnel and aimed themselves at Strange (before Mata Nui clarified that they were allowing him access and they disappeared), the door opened, revealing a hallway much smaller than the door itself.

"Cute."

Strange followed Mata Nui and Vakama through the hallway into a relatively cavernous room. Despite the open door, Strange could still tell that a lot of traps were still present, and that whatever was keeping magic from working was still in effect.

However, his eyes were drawn to the pedestal in the room, which unsurprisingly was the only thing that a light over it. And on that pedestal was an orange mask, which looked actually rather rusted.

"All his security for a mask?" Strange asked. But Mata Nui shook his head.

"Not just any mask, Doctor. This is the Kanohi Vahi, the Mask of Time." Strange's eyes widened at the sight, and he quickly gained a newfound respect for the ugly looking mask.

"I see why you keep it under such high security." The Master of the Mystic Arts looked around. "Who crafted this?"

"That would be me." Vakama said, causing Strange to look at him once more. "You understand just how dangerous an element Time is. You wielded the Time Stone before, and you may be the only one who can actually make use of this Mask's power."

"And this is something you're willing to just hand over to me?" Strange asked. "Just like that?"

"The Mask does come with great risk." Mata Nui explained. "Should it be destroyed or should one lose control of it, time itself will unravel and fold on itself. No moment will ever follow another, and the very fabric of time will be at risk."

"No pressure then." Strange murmured. "Are you sure you want me to take it?"

"The choice is yours, Doctor." Mata Nui replied. "You regret losing the Time Stone. All we offer is a chance for you to make up for it."

* * *

 **Ok, admittedly, I had more action in mind when writing this chapter, but things kinda just fell into the place they came to be in. I'll admit, if this feels like I'm rushing through events, well, I kinda am. I have certain plans for what's inevitably going to happen, but I first need to get through this.**

 **So I apologize if this went by far too quickly for your liking, but I just needed to set up certain events before I got to the really good stuff that's coming up soon.**

 **Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	4. The Calm

**IMPORTANT NOTE: As I was writing this story, I began to realize that Halo wasn't going to appear as much as I initially intended. It'll still have its own role to play, but Star Wars has taken the forefront once again, which is why I swapped the crossover category from Halo to Star Wars. My apologies for any confusion this may cause.**

 **Now we get into events that really get interesting. Fair warning, there are likely to be less Bionicle characters this time around, at least for the moment, but they will certainly have a part to play later.**

 **Anyway, let's dive right in. As a side note, there's a bit of time skip between these chapters, roughly a year or so, give or take. Just an FYI. At this point, I'm really not sure how much that matters, though.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, RWBY or any other franchise that appears in this story.**

* * *

In Salem's keep, a figure was typing directly onto a keyboard with a rather impressive speed for someone with only one free hand. The equipment that was present had been way beyond Salem's understanding, but she still wasn't sure what the point of this was. The Grimm Witch watched as her ally finished her work, a dubious look on her face.

"Is this really necessary?" She finally asked, drawing her ally's attention. "Can't you just create a portal for us?"

 _Not far enough. Not in this state. And the Republic will notice._

"I'm surprised they haven't already." Salem looked out the window. "Especially if their monitoring was as omnipresent as our master said."

 _The attack weakened them. But they will not remain so forever. And the ones who are left can still kill us. I cannot fight them in this state, and you won't be able to beat them all._

"I get why we need to leave." Salem turned back. "But is this the only way we can?"

 _Perhaps not. But the chaos will give us better chances of leaving unnoticed_. _Besides,_ _you wanted Ozpin to suffer, correct?_

"Will this actually do that?"

 _At the very least, it will inconvenience him._

And with a final push of a button, the coordinates were sent.

...

Coruscant had changed much in the last year. The Tidal Wave had left the city planet in ruins, and over 80% of the known population had been lost to the Flood before the attack had halted.

Many more civilians died in the aftermath and most of the survivors had to be evacuated while the city was being rebuilt. Even still, it would probably take decades before the ecumenopolis regained even a fraction of its former glory.

As for the Galactic Alliance itself, well at this point, it was more of a puppet state for the First Order. Palpatine's rhetoric had managed to get many Senators on his side, ousting Chief of State Dorvan in the process.

Now, the former Galactic government was under the thumb of the First Order, who gave their support with new advanced technology, helping the Alliance worlds rebuild and giving them new members to flock to their cause.

Few people asked how the First Order had gotten so advanced, nor had they asked what their intentions were afterwards. And they wouldn't until it was too late. Once again, Darth Sidious controlled the galaxy, and this time, very few knew it.

In the office of the former Chief of State on Coruscant, there were officials who were analyzing and recording all the secrets hidden by the Alliance, but their work was interrupted by an unusual transmission.

The transmission was ultimately brief, but it contained information that sent the officials into a frenzy, and had them quickly sending all that information the First Order Supreme Leader.

Unbeknownst to the people in Chief's office, they had a guest right in their midst. Dweller listened as they took the coordinates, making sure to memorize them himself. Whatever they had, the Shadowed One would probably like to know.

...

"Your agent certainly has potential." Atriox admitted, looking over the reports sent by the Dark Hunter Dweller. "And if what this message says is true, then we may have another gift dropped into our laps." He paused and then spoke again. "I don't like it. This feels all too convenient."

"Even if it weren't, we would still have the First Order to deal with." Maul agreed. "We know for a fact that they would've gotten the message as well."

"Are we sure that this is actually a trap though?" The Shadowed One countered. "From all reports, this message was sent out all over the multiverse."

"He has a point." Voridus admitted. "If it's a trap, then who is it actually for? It clearly wasn't just meant for us."

"We saw how well that worked with the Spirit Generator." Laccabeus countered darkly. "Speaking from experience, this isn't likely sent with benevolent intent."

"Can you really afford to ignore it?" Lariska said, doing a hand stand on her chair back out of boredom. "If we don't claim it, then it's very likely that someone else will." There was a moment of silence as the gathering considered this.

"We can't afford to lose another raiding fleet." Atriox said at last. "Not after Mygeeto."

"Then this time, we go all in." Maul replied, activating the holo table and projecting an image of their flagships. "We launch a full scale attack with our fleets, storm the planet and take what we want before anyone can stop us."

"What about the Republic?" Pavium countered. "The First Order?"

"We let them take care of each other." Maul grinned. "We have been cautious and in hiding for far too long. Even with the Dark Hunters," He made a brief gesture in the Shadowed One's direction. "they will continue to grind us down little by little. If we are to stay relevant in the multiverse, then we cannot afford to pass up this opportunity."

"I'll give the order." Atriox said after a moment, pointing at the Sith Lord with his brow furrowed. "You better be right about this."

The Banished holograms disconnected, leaving Maul, the Shadowed One and Lariska in the meeting room. Activating his comlink, the Sith Lord keyed it to Omega's command center.

"Take us to this world." Maul said. "Remnant's Dust will be ours."

...

Mata Nui looked over the reports, reading at least several dozen at the same time. A normal mind couldn't have done that so easily, but with his own spirit having been in charge of maintaining an entire ecosystem, combined with Republic enhancements, well, it was practically effortless.

The Toa Mahri had been received quite well on the Bending Earth while Gali, Pohatu and Onua had done rather well in Skyland, though they admitted that rebuilding the shattered world would take a lot more than them.

With half the Toa Nuva in Skyland, and Tahu having other duties to attend to, that left Lewa and Kopaka in Atmos. Also, Artakha had apparently begun some work with Tony Stark and Princess Shuri of Wakanda, which was certainly promising.

Many other Toa teams and enhanced Republic forces were still spread all over what remained of Republic and Separatist territory, doing whatever they could to aid in rebuilding. Despite this, it was clear that it would still be a long time before the Republic was even close to its former glory, a constant reminder that weighed on Mata Nui and many Republic citizens in general.

Meanwhile, the hunt for the criminal factions was still ongoing. But even accounting for the losses they had sustained from the Tidal Wave, it was proving to be a much harder task than it should've been, which was highlighted to Mata Nui in the next reports.

Rather worryingly, reports had suggested that weapons similar to very old model Republic weapons could be seen among their ranks. That in itself would've been cause for alarm, but it was the implications of the weapons in question that really bothered Republic High Command.

Back during the early days of the Republic, the Supreme Commander had gone through several experiments with Energized Protodermis, specifically exposing pieces of technology and weapons from a variety of sources to the substance.

While the weapons from those early experiments were powerful, they ultimately were used mostly as prototypes. More refined creations were built and mass produced from experimenting with and reverse-engineering those early models, leading to the more advanced arsenal the Republic had today.

But the weapons seen in the hands of the criminals were almost exactly the same as the ones created all those years ago, which all but confirmed one very disturbing fact: the Dark Hunters either managed to raid old armories prior to the Portal Storms, or they had access to a source of Energized Protodermis.

For this reason alone, the Republic was tripling their efforts to track down the criminal organizations before any of those weapons could spread through the black markets. While it would still take much more for anyone else to actually reach the Republic's current tech level, it wasn't any less alarming.

And from all indications, this was why the Shadow Collective and Banished were proving to be so elusive, and from what little they'd seen of the new fleets, crushing them would require more resources than the Republic could muster.

To that end, the Republic was currently letting the First Order take the lead on the hunt, which helped whittle both sides down, at least for the time being. It wasn't the best option, but it was really the only one the superpower currently had.

Next, Mata Nui turned his attention to the sabotage missions against the First Order, which brought in both good and bad news. The bad news was mostly confirmation of what they already knew: the First Order was growing alarmingly quickly, and potentially had the numbers to challenge the Republic directly, even in spite of the technology gap.

The good news, of course, was that the espionage missions were going well, as most targeted First Order bases were utterly destroyed with no survivors. Which meant the First Order couldn't actually blame the Republic for the losses.

Unsurprisingly, the Order members were being used to great effect. Tobduk and Hydraxon had rather efficiently taken down a First Order military base, leaving absolutely no one to tell that they were there.

Of course, despite their best efforts, civilian losses were expected, something Mata Nui hated. They were kept as minimal as possible, of course, but the Great Spirit was never proud to hear of those losses.

Not that he enjoyed taking any life at all, but Mata Nui knew that such casualties were necessary in the long run, if there was ever to be any peace. Another report drew his mind back to the task at hand, and this one was both recent and rather alarming.

Remnant's location had been exposed to the multiverse at large.

* * *

When the First Order received news of Remnant's location, the Supreme Leader's first thought was that it was possibly a trap, specifically targeted for them. Even after realizing that the message had been sent everywhere, they were hesitant to approach so openly, and even more hesitant when Raven explained some of the dangers that waited them there.

In the end, Palpatine had decided that such an opportunity could not be passed up, not with the chance to obtain Dust. Regardless, there was still the matter of getting there without looking like an invading force.

"Getting onto Remnant will not be easy." Hux pointed out. "The Republic are likely to have some way of warning if any unauthorized ship appears in orbit."

"Then we'll need another way onto the planet surface." Palpatine responded, then smirked as he looked towards Raven. "Perhaps you can help us with that."

"What are you talking about?" For her own part, Raven merely put on a look of confusion, but inwardly, she was panicking.

"Your gift, your Semblance." Palpatine replied. "You can create a portal to those you are bonded with, can you not?" Raven's hand dropped to her sword pommel, which immediately had a dozen blasters pointed at her.

"How did you know about that?" She let go of her sword, but the blasters remained trained on her. "I never told you about it."

"I'm a Sith Lord, child." Snoke's mouth replied. "You cannot truly hide anything from me."

"And what do you want from that link?" The Spring Maiden crossed her arms. "A way to get onto Remnant's surface, I guess."

"With the proper equipment, we can deploy forces there quickly." Hux explained. "Tracking beacons would allow our dropships to jump directly into Remnant's atmosphere."

"So that's it." Raven snarled, glaring at the Supreme Leader's throne. "You want me to use my family to aid in your invasion." Palpatine just smirked.

"I believe that you'll approve of this."

...

Once the Sith Lord had outlined the details of his plan, Raven had been fairly quick to agree, despite her initial hesitance. Sending Kylo Ren as well would ensure that she kept her end of the bargain, as well as provide a suitable test for the young Darksider's patience.

The rest of the meeting was mostly just logistics and discussions of how to execute their goals. Back up plans were prepared, especially if someone else had already beaten them to the planet.

But there was one thing that continued to bother Palpatine: How had he known about Raven's Semblance? She had specifically neglected to mention it, and if the Force had given him that insight, he couldn't recall it.

Shaking his head, the Sith Lord did his best to put that puzzle out of his mind. How he had known the truth was irrelevant, what mattered was that he did. And much more importantly, that Raven's Semblance would very well be the key to Remnant.

...

Team RWBY were wandering through the streets of the Northern most Kingdom. The streets of Atlas were quiet, even for the frigid nation. Of course, the devastation from the Flood attack could be blamed for that.

The destroyed buildings had yet to be fully repaired, leaving debris littering the streets. Normally the lack of bodies might prove to be beneficial towards morale, but after seeing what the Parasite could do and how they were destroyed, it really didn't provide much comfort.

In fact, the only reason the Kingdom wasn't under siege by a massive army of Grimm was because whatever destroyed the Flood had also laid waste to much of the Grimm as well. Though what had actually saved their world was still a mystery.

The meeting with General Ironwood took quite a while to actually get to, and once there, the head of the Atlesian military had even more bad news: the Academy's Relic was missing, just like the Relic of Knowledge.

With the Relics missing, Oscar/Ozpin admitted that he was at a loss regarding what they could do now. It clearly wasn't an easy thing for him to say or accept, and it honestly left the Teams rather directionless.

Which led to where they were now: split up and wandering the streets of Atlas, seeing the devastation left behind by the Flood attack and wondering just what they were supposed to do after all of it.

Those questions and introspection were interrupted by the sound of a portal appearing nearby, and with a glance at Qrow, Yang rushed over, followed quickly by her uncle and the rest of her team. Sure enough, Raven was standing outside of her portal, a downcast expression her face as Team RWBY came through the alleyway that she had exited from.

"Hello, Mom." Yang growled, her voice tight with emotion. "What do you want this time?"

"I'm sorry, Yang." Raven whispered. Seconds later, a man clad in a black cloak and helmet stepped out of the portal behind her, followed by several white armored soldiers who began setting up some sort of machine. "Please, don't try to fight them."

There was a flurry of motion as weapons were drawn, with Team RWBY more than willing to use them. But it was Qrow who was the most furious at her sibling's actions.

"Salem wasn't enough?" Qrow snapped, holding his sword in a combat position. "What have you done now?"

"What she was ordered to do." The masked man replied, then turned to the soldiers, who gave an affirmative nod. "It's done. The link is stable." He turned his attention to the teenagers and Raven's brother, pulling his hood off. "We don't have to do this."

"Buddy, I don't know who you think you are, but we are not going to let you walk away without a fight."

"You misunderstand." Kylo pulled off his helmet. "We're here to help you." There was a brief moment of silence before everyone digested that information.

"Wait, what?"

...

The teams had quickly met up with JNR and Oscar, who had rushed to the scene once they heard about what was happening. After a few moments of explanation, including quite a bit of disbelief from Team RWBY and JNR, Oscar agreed to hear them out and called up General Ironwood to listen to this as well.

After gathering in Ironwood's office, the masked man (who had called himself, Kylo Ren), had pulled out a device that projected a hologram of a man who introduced himself as Supreme Leader Snoke, the leader of an organization called the First Order.

Despite the names, Ozpin was convinced to hear them out, especially when the Supreme Leader admitted to knowing quite a few secrets regarding Remnant and Ozpin himself.

"I wonder how they got that?" Qrow glared at Raven, who had the audacity to just shrug, though she noticeably lacked the smug smirk that would've accompanied that.

The explanations from this First Order had been hard to believe, of course, especially the revelation of just how bad the Flood attack had been. While Ozpin had long since been aware of the Parasite and Salem's service to it, even he was utterly stunned by the devastation they had wrought throughout the multiverse.

"While this is rather good to know, it does beg one question:" Ironwood interjected. "Why tell us all this? What exactly do you want from us?" Snoke smiled.

"Well, I'd say we just want to help protect and rebuild your world out of the goodness of our hearts." He started. "But I won't insult your intelligence like that. Suffice to say, we want Dust, as well as the service of some of your Huntsmen and Huntresses, should they desire to leave, of course."

"Wait, why do you want Dust?" Weiss asked, drawing a raised eyebrow from Snoke. "We've been working on space travel for decades now, but Dust has never worked outside Remnant's atmosphere."

"It seems that rule has changed." This time it was Raven who spoke up, drawing her sword and causing the others to reach for their weapons. But she merely examined the blade calmly. "I had some Dust left over when I was taken from Remnant, and I can assure that it does work in space."

"How is that possible?" Ironwood asked. "It's never worked outside of Remnant for the longest time. We've discontinued our space programs because of it."

"I honestly can't say for sure." Snoke admitted. "But as you can now see, it does work. Suffice to say, what we can offer can accelerate Remnant's technological development by leaps and bounds. You will no longer be hindered by the Grimm and you will be free among the stars."

"That's a generous offer." Ozpin said after a moment. "Which begs the question of what you will do if we refuse."

"Then we will simply leave." Snoke replied. "But we are not the only interested parties in the multiverse, and I can't promise that they will ask as politely as we will."

"What are you talking about?" Qrow asked, drawing a confused look from both Kylo and Snoke.

"You don't know? The location of your world was broadcast throughout the multiverse." Snoke shook his holographic head. "And in all likelihood, it came from somewhere on your planet."

"Salem." Ruby whispered.

Before anything else could be said, alarms started blaring all over the kingdom as shadows appeared in the sky. As Ironwood instantly looked to his control panel and the teenagers moved to the nearest window, Raven rounded on Kylo and Snoke's hologram.

"I thought you said there wouldn't be an invasion!" Just as she said that, the ships came into view, and one thing instantly became clear by their silhouettes.

"Those aren't ours."

...

Salem and her ally watched the orbital feed, it quickly becoming clear that the latter's gambit had payed off even better than anticipated. A massive criminal fleet had appeared in orbit, with the large bulks of the _Enduring Conviction_ and Omega leading the charge.

The ships were quick to deploy smaller vessels and dropships towards the planet surface, specifically aiming for Dust signatures. It was clear what the Shadow Collective and Banished had come for, and that they had no intentions of leaving empty handed.

"Well," Salem smirked. "this should be interesting."

* * *

 **And so it begins, and trust me when I say, things will get very good in the near future. Though good for the audience does not mean things will be good for Remnant, of course.**

 **Anyway, with all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	5. Attack on Remnant

**Alright and now we shall get into the next chapter, where the attack on Remnant has begun. So far, we're starting out with the Shadow Collective, Banished and Dark Hunters, but sufficed to say, more will be joining the fight, either to help defend or attack the Kingdoms. With that said, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, RWBY or anything else that appears in this chapter.**

* * *

The people of Remnant were still recovering from something that had made the worst Grimm attack look like a playground fight. So when a wave of spacecraft began emerging from the sky and started firing on their cities again, so soon after the Flood had been doing the same thing, well, morale dropped even lower than it had already been.

Almost immediately, many of the hidden defenses and AA guns managed to catch the Shadow Collective and Banished by surprise, and tearing a number of their airspeeders and fighters from the sky.

But the criminals were quick to retaliate, and subsequent fighters zeroed in on them and began systemically dismantling them piece by piece. This allowed a number of dropships to deploy, with some human and many alien figures began dropping onto Remnant's surface, with some artillery and tanks were also dropped in and unleashed their deadly payloads.

To their credit, several dozen Huntsmen and Huntresses took the fight to the invaders, managing to take down a number of them through sheer surprise and lightning quick attacks.

But their pushback efforts began to falter when the Dark Hunters came out to play. Kraata-Kal's control over Shadow, Fire and Water caught one pair of Huntsmen off guard, and they didn't live long enough to correct their mistakes.

Subterranean hypnotized a Huntress into turning against her fellows, then disassembled another's weapon, and then the Huntsman himself. Another Huntsman charged towards Voporak with the intent of cutting him down. His life ended in seconds.

As his Dark Hunters ravaged their way through the streets of Atlas, the Shadowed One chose to make his own mark, disintegrating a Huntsman and another Huntress who made an attempt to stand against him. Accompanied by Sentrakh, the leader of the Dark Hunters took a look around and laughed at the sight.

This promised to be a good day.

...

All too soon, fire and destruction filled Atlas' skyline, while Ironwood and everyone inside watched. Teams RWBY, JNR and Qrow had already left the office to do their part in helping fight off the attack, but it was clear that they wouldn't be enough.

Oscar/Ozpin was still in the room, but he made it clear that he would leave the defense up to Ironwood's choice. Kylo and Snoke's hologram turned back to Ironwood, drawing his attention as the latter spoke again.

"You won't be able fight them off alone." Snoke claimed. "These beings will ravage your planet without a care for your people. Give us permission to come here, and we can bring them down."

Ironwood looked between the holoscreen showing the situation and the two beings claiming to be their salvation. On one hand, it was clear that Remnant had absolutely no defense against these monsters, but on the other hand, he was putting his faith in the hands of another powerful faction he knew nothing about. And for all he knew, the attackers and this First Order were allies.

The decision was all but made for him when horrific screaming appeared over the radio, causing Ironwood to grimace. Turning towards Ozpin, who gave a reluctant nod of his own, Ironwood sighed. He looked at Snoke, Kylo and Raven, with a steel tone in his voice.

"Do it."

...

A First Order fleet leapt into orbit, dozens of Star Destroyers making up most of the fleet's composition while the massive bulk of the Supremacy appeared above them. To the credit of the criminals, if they were panicking at the unexpected turn of events, they gave no sign of it, and shifted their formation to respond to the First Order's arrival.

On the bridge, Palpatine stood next to General Hux, a sadistic grin on the former's face, while the latter had a small smirk of his own. After what happened over Vardos, the leaders were looking forward to some payback, but Palpatine was more than willing to keep his focus on the prize.

"Focus your fire on the capital ships." The Supreme Leader ordered. "And be wary of firing in the path of the planet. We want it intact."

"By your will, Supreme Leader." Hux nodded, then raised his voice. "All ships, engage!"

...

While the fleets traded blows over Remnant, a number of dropships and other fighter craft made precise FTL jumps into the world's atmosphere, and began deploying troops all over Atlas. It didn't take long for the Stormtroopers and their more specialized forces to get into conflict with the Shadow Collective and Banished, turning the Kingdom even further into a Warzone.

Banished and Shadow Collective frigates tore the Atlesian Battleships apart, bringing the airships crashing down on the city they were supposed to be protecting. Their victories were short-lived as the First Order began engaging the criminal ships in even conflict.

Palpatine watched from the cockpit of his shuttle, smirking at the escalating conflict. The arrival of the criminal factions had been a great boon, all but pushing the most advanced kingdom on the planet into the First Order's camp, giving them an opportunity to make their influence heard as well as providing access to the largest Dust corporation in the world.

With them under control, getting the other three Kingdoms to fall into line would not be difficult at all, even if they had to use orbital bombardment as a demonstration. And the best part was that the Republic couldn't directly interfere.

With the ceasefire in place, and the clear lack of Republic forces in the area, it meant that the First Order had sole claim to the planet, giving them a wealth of resources and powerful warriors to use in their conquest.

Slowly but surely, Darth Sidious' rise to power would be brought to fruition once more.

The shuttle soon touched down on a makeshift landing pad in a First Order camp, as the Supreme Leader's guards exited first to ensure it was safe. Captain Phasma walked forward to greet Palpatine, bowing her head as she approached.

"Supreme Leader, we've analyzed the enemy plan of attack. They're primarily targeting Dust repositories and raiding them for their supplies."

"Well, we can't have that." Palpatine smirked. "Focus your assault on breaking their hold. Try to avoid civilian casualties, but that's not a high priority."

"As you command, my Lord." Phasma bowed and left to resume her duties, while Palpatine looked over the field himself.

...

With the battle well under way, Palpatine had dispatched the Knights of Ren on various assassination duties among the Shadow Collective, and even ordered his personal Dark Trooper into the fray to aid the stricken Atlesian forces.

Of course, Atlas wasn't the only place that the First Order had landed. Their forces had been deployed in all four kingdoms, though Vale, Vacuo and Mistral had been much more uneasy about their arrival. They had reluctantly accepted support as the First Order made their moves against the criminal factions, all of which Palpatine watched with glee.

Speaking of Maul and Atriox, they were clearly stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they were to leave now, they would inevitably lose the Dust and the planet to the First Order, but the longer they stayed, the more likely they would lose even more of their forces, which was something they couldn't afford, especially with the Supremacy overhead.

Palpatine's musings were interrupted when the comm signaled an incoming call from General Hux. Frowning, the Sith accepted the call, and found a nervous and haggard looking General on the other end of the hologram.

"Report, General." He didn't need the Force to know that he wasn't going to like what Hux had to say.

"Supreme Leader, there has been a... complication..."

...

Several minutes ago.

The battle in space had been going on for half an hour now, and yet it was still too slow. The upgrades made to the Shadow Collective and Banished ships had made them rather difficult to deal with, as their defenses and constant maneuvers made it difficult to take them down, further stymied by the fact that stray shots could hit the planet against Snoke's orders.

Despite this, Hux remained ever confident in the chances of success, especially given what he planned to do next. The distinct shape of Omega could be seen even at this distance, sensors obviously helping even more.

The Supremacy's own maneuvers and angle ensured that any stray shots wouldn't hit the planet, leaving the Shadow Collective flagship wide open. Hux held his composure as he gave a single order.

"Activate the superlaser."

The bridge crew immediately rushed to do what he ordered, and Hux felt a smirk grow as the station was targeted. That smirk was quick to vanish when readings began reporting a build up of slipspace energy above Omega's dome.

"Fire!" The green beam was unleashed the instant after his order, but it was already too late.

In the microsecond before the laser struck, Omega vanished into the slipspace portal, tactical jumping away and leaving the green energy to streak forward unopposed. Some would say what happened next was an act of fate. Others would say that it was one of the worst cases of bad luck in the history of the multiverse.

Whatever the case, a dozen Republic capital ships appeared in orbit from their own slipspace ruptures, with one of the their cruisers having the unfortunate coincidence of being right in the path of the superlaser.

The green energy beam impacted the vessel, and in the brief moment of vulnerability, the laser tore the ship apart, taking thousands of lives in an explosion that seemed like another sun. For a brief heartbeat, the entire battle seemed to freeze in time as the magnitude of what just happened sunk in to the combatants.

Then the Republic ships opened fire.

...

"We may have opened fire on a Republic fleet."

"You did what?!"

"Supreme Leader, I can-HURK!" Hux was lifted into the air by his neck before being slammed against the floor, repeatedly. Snoke had an absolutely murderous look in his eyes as the General suffered, causing the rest of the First Order allies to back away. Abruptly, Hux was released, gasping and groaning in pain.

"I will deal with your incompetence later, General." Palpatine snapped. "Finish the battle, and keep our ships alive."

"Yes, your excellency." Hux coughed, snapping off a hasty salute as the feed cut out.

Palpatine said nothing, but everyone could feel the rage present around him and no one dared speak up, lest they become the target of his anger. His plan was on the verge of coming undone. The Republic could use Hux's attack as a pretext for war, and it was clear that they already using that excuse to fight back in the battle above.

He would have to do damage control before it got out of hand, which first and foremost would mean ending the battle quickly. And that in itself would be a challenge now that the Republic was here, never mind all the concessions he would have to make to keep the Republic placated afterwards.

He could deal with that later. For now, he had to take control of the situation. Turning to Phasma, he beckoned the Stormtrooper commander over, who was quick to respond and briskly was at his side.

"Inform our troops that they may encounter Republic forces." Palpatine said. "I want them to avoid firing on them. As much as you possibly can. We do not need to escalate this further."

"Understood, Supreme Leader." Phasma hurriedly left, leaving Palpatine alone. Another signal on his comlink came in and the Sith frowned once more.

"Where is that blasted droid?"

...

Jacques Schnee was not happy. The SDC had already suffered heavily from the destruction wrought by these 'Flood' creatures, and now their world was under attack by yet another alien faction, this one targeting Dust stores all over the globe.

As soon as warning of the attack came in, security had escorted him to a secure bunker under his mansion, to protect him from this latest wave of alien invaders. Which left him where he was now, in a rather darkened room deep under ground, with only a couple of guards for company and no connection outside.

Furious at being locked away from his own company, Jacques had demanded some form of communication to the outside, but the security chief remained adamant that no signals could be allowed out, for fear of someone tracing them.

So now the Schnee head was pacing in the middle of the lavishly furnished room, furious at the losses his company continued to suffer and Ironwood's inability to do anything about it.

His fury halted and was replaced with confusion when he suddenly slammed into something as he turned mid pace. That confusion became fear as he found himself face to face with a large robot, from a model he definitely had never seen before.

It was humanoid in shape, almost looking like an armored soldier, but the sheer size and mechanical whirring made it abundantly clear that this was no human or Faunus. The machine took a slow step towards him, causing the Schnee Patriarch to back against the wall.

"Guards!" Jacques shouted.

Or tried to. But no sound came out. "What are you?!" He tried to ask as terror suddenly gripped his heart, but still he heard nothing. Shadows seemed to creep in, ensuring that nothing could be seen and leaving Jacques to back away in fear, pressing himself against the wall. Darkness swallowed the light, leaving the machine's red eyes as the only visible sight.

...

Outside, the battle continued to rage over Remnant's surface, with no one side able to really gain an advantage over the other. The natives were fighting alongside the First Order, their foes primarily the criminal factions that raided the world.

Furthermore, the main leaders of the criminal alliance had split to attack each of the Kingdoms. With the Shadowed One in Atlas, that meant that Darth Maul was leading the assault on Vale, Atriox personally directed the attack on Vacuo, while Vestara Khai was leading against the weakened Mistral.

Now, yet another faction was beginning to make themselves known, as Republic forces began teleporting onto the planet, primarily consisting of infantry forces with some close air support.

When they arrived, they found the ground was much more contested for all the factions at large. Atlas initially held the advantage: their robotic Knights and Paladins proved themselves superior to the mechs and battle droids sent out in the first wave, but of course they were only really used for cannon fodder.

The actual soldiers on the other hand, managed to match them pound for pound, their upgrades more than capable of ensuring they could beat even the most well-equipped Atlesian soldiers.

Many Huntsmen and Huntresses proved to be much more difficult foes, which was where the Dark Hunters really came to shine against them. Of course, it was hardly one-sided. A team of Huntsmen and Huntresses managed to overwhelm Prototype and Gladiator, putting them on the back foot.

Elsewhere, Firedracax found himself at a significant disadvantage against due to the lack of heat for his Rhotuka to absorb, as well as the copious amounts of Ice Dust the Atlas Specialist was using.

Gatherer emerged to bail him out, but ended up caught in a trap from the Atlesian military, which forced Eliminator to help him as well. It was only through the support of Death Watch and Banished Jump Pack Brutes that allowed those Dark Hunters to escape alive.

Then things got worse as the Republic forces began making themselves known. Brutaka and Axonn effortlessly tore a battalion to shreds, taking out several Dark Hunters in the process.

The Shadowed One snarled at the sight, once more annoyed at Maul and Atriox's decision to head to Vale and Vacuo respectively. Leaving his own opponent's head encased in crystalline Protodermis, he left the Faunus to suffocate and moved further into the city, coming across a platoon of Knights and a couple of Paladins.

The Shadowed One's eyes glowed and his disintegration beams lanced out, turning a Paladin into dust and sweeping the beams over the Knights behind it. In a matter of seconds, the platoon was merely ash. Meanwhile, Sentrakh quickly dealt with the other Paladin, using his Rhotuka power to phase it partially through the ground. It was still kicking despite that setback, causing Sentrakh to turn into stone.

Despite all the carnage, the criminals had not forgotten their primary objective. Dust repositories were the primary locations to suffer from the criminal attacks, with the First Order making their efforts to stop them.

But it was the Republic who really began changing the tide of battle, as their soldiers began tearing the criminals apart. Predators stealthily took down several soldiers, while the bulk of the Republic troopers found themselves engaging both the First Order and the criminals in direct conflict.

It was a testament to their new upgrades that any of the other factions were doing as well as they were, and even then, the Republic was slowly gaining ground against them. Soldiers infused with elemental powers fought with three to one odds against them and came out on top, while Toa and Order members increased those odds even further.

The Knights of Ren unintentionally found themselves under attack by the Jedi Order, with Jaina Solo herself leading their efforts. Despite their training, most of the Knights were ill-equipped to deal with the Jedi, and several fell to the Lightsiders.

The people of Atlas were rather conflicted: on one hand, their new allies were under assault from another faction, but on the other hand, not only was that faction targeting the Shadow Collective, Banished and Dark Hunters, they also took pains to avoid getting into conflict with the actual people who lived on the planet.

And as Team RWBY watched several of them in a fight, they were starting to appreciated the technological advantage that the Republic had. While the First Order stormtroopers required specialized armor to survive in such cold temperatures, Republic soldiers had no need for that, with Artakha's Adaptive Armor designs having become commonplace among their military forces.

Of course, this sight was becoming rather common across the planet, but unfortunately for everyone involved, this created yet another problem...

...

Maul's rage unleashed itself as a wave of Force Lightning, sending Glynda Goodwitch flying as her Aura broke. He was unable to capitalize on his advantage before being forced to break off to avoid a wave of fire.

Reaching out with the Force, he sent Norik flying, the Toa of Fire regrowing to normal size when his Mask Power cut off. Taking the brief moment of calm, Maul leapt away onto the top of another building, where he could get a clear view of things.

The mission in Vale hadn't gone as planned. With the unexpected arrival of both the First Order and the Republic, Maul knew that they would have to cut their losses and run. Atriox had already agreed to that, but the Sith had been unable to reach Vestara, and now he was caught up in a desperate fight for survival.

Despite the cacophony of the fighting around him, the entire battlefield became rather quiet when a scream echoed throughout the din, causing hundreds if not thousands of bestial roars to join it...

...

Once again, Vestara Khai was engaged in a lightsaber duel with Ben Skywalker, a situation that was becoming all too familiar to the star-crossed lovers. Ben refused to engage with Vestara's attempts at talking, solely focused on ending the fight as soon as possible.

He had a brief reaction when Vestara blurted out a secret related to Snoke, but the young Jedi refused to be hoodwinked again, and managed to bring Vestara down by clipping her in the leg with his lightsaber.

Before she could recover, his blue blade was at her throat, bathing her in its glow. Her own lightsaber had been knocked out of her hands, and she wouldn't be able to retrieve it so easily, not like this.

"It's over, Ves." Ben said sadly. That melancholy turned to shock when a hand grabbed his and pulled it away, dragging the lightsaber with it.

"So sorry about this."

Before Ben could begin to understand what just happened, Kilo punched him in the face, sending the Jedi flying. The impact knocked the Knight out, leaving Kilo free to help Vestara up.

"You didn't have to do that." The Sith snarled, but Kilo simply shrugged.

"He'll be alright. But we have to go, right now." He gestured to the ships already taking off. "We're going to miss our ride out of here." Vestara wanted to argue, but the sudden appearance of bestial howling from outside the city let itself be known.

"Fine." The Sith snarled. "Let's go."

...

Atriox swung his mace, sending Sun flying before he crashed into the ground, right next to the fallen members of his own Team. They had all survived, barely, but the only reason they were alive was because the Banished warlord had bigger issues to deal with.

"Keep the evacuation going!" The Brute shouted. "Load the Dust onto the transports."

There wasn't much of the substance, the First Order and the Republic having cut their raids short. Still, what they had would undoubtedly prove advantageous. Provided they could get away before their enemies caught up with them.

An airborne Lich suddenly burst into flames as a Republic gunship flew past, proving that they had no intention of letting the Banished leave so easily. Banshees immediately engaged in a dogfight with the Republic forces as infantry began making themselves known to the landing zone.

To make things worse, Team SSSN had recovered from Atriox's beating and was ready to fight again, but before that conflict could begin, a chorus of loud roars echoed throughout Vacuo's walls.

...

It was all but inevitable that the Grimm would come again. The latest attack and the wave of despair, fear and terror that resulted was more than enough to summon them, inevitably turning the already clustered battle lines into an even more confusing mess, as the creatures of darkness turned up and attacked everyone indiscriminately.

Normally, this would've been easily dealt with by the defenses of the Kingdoms, but with things being what they were, not to mention the holes blasted into the walls, well, it left the Grimm to enter almost completely unopposed.

Several Huntsmen teams quickly attempted to redeploy and halt this attack, but the Grimm were already coming and rampaging through the Kingdoms. It got worse when Grimm over 100 meters in height began appearing from below ground, promising to bring destruction a scale never seen before.

But it was the massive Grimm specimens that appeared outside of each city that gave everyone else pause, specifically because of the differences from their more common brethren. And rather alarmingly to the people of Remnant, it was the ones who weren't native to the planet that reacted much more fearfully to these creatures.

This was highlighted by the Grimm that emerged from the ice in Atlas, a gigantic leviathan with a multitude of tentacles. Sickly blue eyes had replaced their normal red, and strange blue vein like patterns were pulsing all over its skin. The Grimm roared, and a beam of blue lightning erupted from its mouth, which shattered a dozen Paladins with a single burst.

"Everyone fall back!" Jaina shouted. "Fall back now!"

The Jedi were quite willing to do so, while the artillery from the First Order, Shadow Collective, and Banished began shelling the creature to no effect. Meanwhile, Republic forces had scanned the largest Grimm attacking all four kingdoms, and confirmed their worst fears.

All four of those titanic Grimm had been injected with Phazon.

...

A portal appeared over one of the still intact buildings in Atlas, and two figures stepped out to witness the destruction. Salem and Dark Samus looked on as the battle for Remnant had only just begun, the former with a smirk on her face.

They weren't the only ones to appear from the rift: Cinder and Tyrian also emerged, being the only two of Salem's minions who remained willingly loyal to her. Watts, Adam, Hazel, Emerald and Mercury were quick to follow, the Phazon of Dark Samus compelling them to obey their leader.

"Let's get this done."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Don't worry, we are definitely going to come back to this, and trust me, things will get rather dicey when that happens. But this chapter was getting long enough as is, so I decided to split it in two sections.**

 **Anyway, with that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	6. Battle of Remnant

**Well, we begin the next chapter on Remnant, which will be the end of the clusterfuck that you could call a battle here. I know that the actual Remnant side didn't really have much to do in the last chapter, so hopefully this will make up for that.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, RWBY or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

"Incoming!"

Let 'Volir braced himself on the holotable as the Enduring Conviction trembled from the latest attack. A quick damage report revealed that the shields were still operational, but only at 30% strength. Despite the bad news, 'Volir found himself feeling a bit of pride. Surviving this long against the Republic was previously unheard of if you weren't the Separatists or the Flood.

Of course, that wasn't saying much. It had only been ten minutes, and the numerically inferior Republic fleet had already reduced their fleet strength even further, while simultaneously fighting off the First Order.

Chances were that if it was just one of the factions, the superpower would already have beaten them. It was a sobering reminder that the Republic was extremely dangerous even in its weakened state.

"Fleetmaster, we're detecting energy signatures from the planet." The officer's voice was much more alarmed than it had been a moment ago. "It's Phazon!"

...

In one moment, all hell had broken loose across Remnant. Which was rather impressive considering just how much of a mess it had been before. The arrival of the Grimm hadn't completely halted the conflict between the Republic, the First Order, Shadow Collective, Banished and Dark Hunters, but it certainly drew their attention elsewhere.

The hordes of smaller Grimm were easily dealt with, but the four larger ones were clearly going to be a major problem. And nowhere was this more heavily demonstrated in Atlas.

The massive Phazon infused Grimm began rampaging through Atlas' walls, all but ignoring the weapons fire that was constantly pouring onto it. Qrow, Oscar, RWBY and JNR were watching from a rooftop as the leviathan as it continued its onslaught, their own weapons feeling quite useless at the moment.

"How are we supposed to fight that?!" Ren asked, before another voice answered for him.

"You're not." Hazel leapt down behind them. "You're going to have much more pressing problems right now." He wasn't the only one to show, as Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Watts, Adam and Tyrian came up around them, surrounding them in a vice.

"Why are you doing this?" Ruby asked, gesturing to the battle that continued to rage. "What is the point of it all?!"

"You know what kind of monster Salem is." Oscar continued. "You know what she serves. Why would you keep serving her?"

"Because they don't have a choice." A new voice appeared, one rather familiar to Ozpin and causing his eyes to go wide as Salem floated to the ground, followed by a strange alien figure. "Their servitude to me is absolute now."

"Salem." Oscar whispered. "You did this. You called all these factions to our world."

"Are you enjoying it, Ozpin?" Salem chuckled. "It's not the Flood, but this will suffice. And to make things so much sweeter, you'll be joining me."

"You really are out of your mind, lady." Qrow pointed his blade towards Salem, who chuckled in response.

"You misunderstand." Her voice grew an octave darker as her strange ally pointed an arm cannon at them. "It wasn't a request."

Before anything could happen, a blast of energy sent the alien sprawling as another being leapt onto the roof top in front of them, clad in a suit of gold and orange with green lights and a visor over her face.

"You must be Salem." Samus Aran said. "I believe we need to have a bit of a chat."

...

Axonn cut down a dozen Grimm with ease, burning up a large Nevermore as it swooped down, no doubt looking for an easy target. Beside him, Brutaka shredded a dozen Ursas with the single swing of his blade, then fired an energy bolt that vaporized a Grimm Manticore.

This prompted the rest of the Manticores as well as a Sphinx to fly towards him, but just before they could reach him, he triggered his mask and a dimensional rift appeared in front of them, sending the Grimm straight into a Volcano.

"Just like the good old days." Axonn sighed, as he effortlessly cut down another Grimm. "Mindless enemies who never take a hint."

"Oh come on, you always loved that." Brutaka pulled his blade out of a dissolving Grimm. "Besides it keeps both of us sharp."

"Well, as long as you don't repeat that little trick on Zakaz, this isn't too bad."

"No worries." Brutaka looked around, finding the two momentarily alone. "I kinda doubt that would work on them anyway."

Their conversation was interrupted when a missile exploded a few feet away, sending the two Order warriors flying. They recovered in time to see Samus and Dark Samus battling once more, taking their fight further into the city streets.

"I think we want to stay out of that fight." Axonn noted, to which Brutaka nodded.

"Agreed." A loud roar drew their attention to the rampaging Phazon Grimm making its way into the Kingdom walls. "That, on the other hand..."

Another dimensional portal opened and the two old friends stepped through.

...

Further in Atlas, Trinuma had amassed a small force of Paladins, thanks to his Ghost Blasters taking control of them. He was quick to order them to unleash artillery strikes against the large Grimm, adding what firepower he could against the Phazon enhanced menace while he tore through the lesser Grimm.

And he was clearly doing more damage to the latter than everyone else was doing to the former. The Leviathan was basically locked in a state of Hypermode, constantly spewing off blobs of lesser Grimm, unleashing attacks that tore even the Republic forces apart, and being nigh-impossible to kill as well.

It was clear that this wasn't working, and that more firepower would be required to actually take this thing down. The new orders were to lead the Grimm away from the city, which was much easier said than done. The hope was to take these things down with an orbital strike, but without causing too much collateral damage.

"It's too late for that." Trinuma muttered.

The Order warrior paused when he noticed something. From what he could see and remember from the briefings, Snoke's personal Dark Trooper was flying through the sky, coming from somewhere that had actually been devoid of the conflict.

"That's odd." The warrior's eyes narrowed. "What was it doing there?" Seconds later, another wave of Grimm approached and his suspicions were all but forgotten.

...

He barely spared a glance as Trinuma fought off the Grimm, instead musing over his current plans. The 'meeting' with Jacques Schnee had gone over well, and it ensured that he would have a supply of Dust available no matter what happened here.

The revelation that Dark Samus was alive and working with the Grimm Queen was much more problematic, but she was clearly weakened, and the Republic would certainly mark her as a high priority.

No, he certainly had nothing to fear from the Phazon abomination or the Grimm Witch Salem, certainly not without the Flood to back either of them. The criminal factions would certainly be more of a problem, especially when a cursory examination of their minds and weapons revealed what he had suspected: they had access to a source of Energized Protodermis.

Of course, that had the potential to be a great boon, especially since he could very well retrieve it without needing to go to Republic Space. It would certainly be one less risk, especially if he could get the timing right.

Now, the Republic on the other hand... truth be told, he hadn't welcomed the knowledge that that idiot Hux had fired upon the Republic fleet, but he had enough confidence that Palpatine could weasel his way out of another shooting war.

Even if he couldn't, it wouldn't matter in the long run. The First Order were useful pawns, but his plans were more than capable of proceeding without them, and a conflict with the Republic would leave both sides too weakened to notice him working.

His thoughts were interrupted when he detected a Griffon Grimm behind him, which slammed him into the ground in a secluded alleyway. The large Grimm roared, but since there was no one in sight, there was no one to witness what came next: a jet of plasma emerged from his hand and pierced the creature, its scream abruptly cutting out as it began dissolving.

He barely paid the Grimm a second thought as he resumed his journey. Right now, he still had to pretend to be the loyal bodyguard to Supreme Leader Snoke, a ruse he could accept dealing with a little longer. But as he flew towards Snoke's command post, he noticed something.

Setting down on a rooftop, he settled in to take note of the conflict in front of him.

...

While the battle was still raging around them, a much more personal conflict was also continuing as Ozpin engaged in a battle with Salem, their conflict more than able to cause even more damage to the city alone, leaving yet another battle raging.

Ruby was engaged with Cinder, who was more than furious at this point. Hazel was taking on all of JNR singlehanded, Tyrian and Watts were going toe to toe with Qrow, Weiss was engaged against Mercury and Emerald, with Blake and Yang fighting Adam.

Meanwhile, Samus and Dark Samus had begun fighting, the former having a noticeable advantage over the latter. At other points in time, the Phazon clone would've been her equal, if not superior, but it was clear that the damage during the Tidal Wave had taken its toll, forcing the Black Demon on the defensive.

It was clear that Salem held the advantage, especially since Ozpin had already drained most of his magic with the Maidens and the Branwens, which combined with Oscar's relative inexperience, did not bode well for the Wizard.

"The Flood were supposed to bring unending suffering." Salem hurled another magic blast at the young child, who barely managed to leap out of the way. "I suppose I'll have to do this myself, won't I, Ozma?"

"What happened to you?" Oscar's voice asked sadly. "What did the Flood do to you?"

"They promised my vengeance." Salem replied. "And they certainly delivered it when they took the Relics."

"And now they're gone." Oscar's body leapt out of the way of another magic blast. "The Flood are dead. You're no longer their servant and they can no longer help you."

Unfortunately, Oscar wasn't able to avoid the next magic burst and was sent flying across several rooftops, landing in a heap with his Aura completely drained. In a moment, Salem was right beside him, ready to finish off the young child.

But before she could do so, a sudden cyclone appeared out of nowhere and sent the Grimm Witch flying, her scream of fury echoing as she was sent several blocks away. With a start, Oscar found a seven foot tall robotic being in front of him, clad in green and gold armor and holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other.

"Hey kid, are you alright?" The masked robot spoke, putting away his shield and offering a hand to Oscar, who hesitantly took it. "... You are a kid, right?"

"In a manner of speaking." Oscar rose to his feet. "Who are you?"

"Toa Iruini at your service." The being said in a way that was far too organic for a machine. "We saw your conflict and came to help."

"We?" Oscar asked, then flinched as the injuries he had sustained made themselves known. This didn't go unnoticed by the Toa of Air.

"Hold on, I think I can help with that." Iruini pulled out his shield and shot Ozpin with a spinner-like projectile. The healing Rhotuka instantly rejuvenated him, though his Aura still needed a moment to recharge.

"My thanks. But you didn't really answer my question." Oscar noted. "Who is 'we'?"

"We're the Toa Hagah." Iruini replied, and in that moment, Oscar took note of the five other biomechanical beings aiding against Salem's associates, using strange elemental powers to turn the tides.

With Pouks' aid, Adam Taurus had been completely restrained by bonds of Stone, leaving Blake and Yang free to help JNR against Hazel. The brutish thug had learned from his mistake last time, and refused to use any lightning Dust against Nora.

Unfortunately, his use of Ice Dust didn't help against a Toa of Ice, and Kaulus effortlessly drained the elemental energy from his body. Still, he managed to ignore the pain from the others, but he couldn't ignore the massive wave of water that appeared and swept him away.

Meanwhile, the Fall Maiden's fight against Ruby had been interrupted by a red and silver clad Toa. Cinder unleashed a massive blast of fire that would've melted an Atlesian Paladin, but the Toa of Fire simply absorbed the flame with no effort.

"Was that it?" Norik asked. "Am I supposed to be impressed by that?"

With a shout of rage, Cinder attempted to attack again, only for the roof to erupt beneath her, launching her in the air. The enlarged Bomonga grabbed her in one hand, keeping her restrained. His normal strength was more than sufficient to hold her, but a blast of fire had him releasing the Fall Maiden.

She didn't stay unrestrained for too long, as a blast of water knocked her off her feet. Enraged, she turned the water into sharpened icicles and launched them at Gaaki, but Kaulus dealt with them before they could hit her.

Bomonga and Pouks combined their power, encasing the Fall Maiden in a cage of Earth and Stone, bound so tightly that she couldn't move. And with Cinder down, RWBY, JNR and Qrow had a much easier time of taking down the rest of Salem's cronies.

The erstwhile allies had little time to celebrate, as Salem herself returned and unleashed an energy blast that knocked them all down. Oscar was the first to recover, and was the only one who could even fight her on any footing, as the others were blast away before they had a chance to try.

Unfortunately for her, the Toa had something she wasn't expecting, and after a brief tactical suggestion with Ruby, they began putting their plan into action, just as Oscar was once more knocked away from Salem.

The six Toa Hagah combined their powers, striking the Grimm Queen at once as the elemental powers joined together. When they were done, Salem was encased in a crystalline prison, frozen in rage.

"Will that hold her?" Yang asked, looking at the crystalline Protodermis.

"It should." Norik replied. "A Toa Seal is almost impossible to break out of."

From the inside, the Toa certainly wasn't wrong. But the outside was less certain. Normally it required the elemental powers of the Toa who had created the Seal in order to break it, but something else sufficiently powerful enough could shatter the cage.

In this case, it was a charged Phazon blast, fired by Dark Samus. The energy corrupted and shattered the seal, causing an explosion from both the crystals and Salem herself, blasting everyone away.

Despite this, Salem refused to press the advantage and actually retreated, teleporting away to Dark Samus' location. Teams RWBY and JNR watched as it happened and immediately desire to follow her.

"Not yet." Oscar warned. "We can't be certain she is not leading us into a trap." The conversation was interrupted when Dark Samus was blasted through a building above them, followed by Samus herself.

"Plus, you probably don't want to get in her way." Iruini pointed out.

Their conversation was interrupted as more Grimm began making their way towards them, bringing their attention elsewhere.

...

Similar events continued throughout Atlas, as the battle lines started to become more clear. The Grimm had taken up the bulk of everyone's attention, but there were still different conflicts that remained.

Despite the Grimm and everything else, some of the criminal forces had either chosen to stay or had fallen behind in the evacuation. It seemed that the majority of them decided it was better to go down fighting, and luckily for them, the Order of Mata Nui was happy to oblige.

Axonn was in the center of a dozen Hunter Goliaths, his axe tearing through them with little effort. He hurled the weapon at a Wraith, which penetrated the shields and cleaved it in two, while simultaneously burning through the worms of one Goliath, before grabbing his axe as it returned to him.

Elsewhere, Brutaka all but effortlessly dueled his way through Sangheili-led forces, parrying plasma blasts and needle rounds with his blade before hurling bolts of energy into one of the Zann Consortium's tanks.

While that was happening, Samus' fight with Dark Samus had gained a third combatant as Salem forced herself into the fray. But what should've utterly changed the tide against the Chozo Hatchling was only enough to ensure that Dark Samus could survive, due to the Black Demon's relatively weakened state.

Eventually, even Salem was getting ground down by the ex-Bounty Hunter's constant attacks, forcing her to call the massive Grimm Leviathan for support, which put a large tentacle between the Dark beings and swatted Samus away.

Around this point, the Republic forces were realizing that they needed to take care of the massive Grimm, and as the constant artillery had already shown, their current efforts weren't enough. Which was why the local commander put in a call.

"We need an orbital strike, now!"

A beam of energy struck from the heavens, bathing the Grimm in light and vaporizing them instantly. Salem and Dark Samus were caught up in the beam as well, disappearing from sight as the blast receded, leaving a glassed crater in the ground.

With that revelation, the Republic were quick to capitalize on that and targeted the Leviathan Grimm in the other three Kingdoms as well, reducing and destroying them with Orbital bombardment.

The show of force was enough to get the criminal factions fleeing, as their ships started disappearing from orbit in all the chaos. The First Order, however, did not and while the battle was winding down, tensions were high as it almost seemed like they would ignite once again.

...

"You opened fire on us."

"I can assure you, that was completely accidental." Palpatine raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Your ships had the bad luck of just being in the laser's path."

"That's quite comforting to know." The Republic Admiral raised an eyebrow. "Many lives were lost because of your 'mistake'."

"And many more were lost when you called in an orbital strike in the middle of the Kingdoms." The Sith Lord countered. "Do you really want to reignite this conflict over a mistake?"

Once the battle had started winding down and the Shadow Collective, Banished and Dark Hunters began retreating, the Supreme Leader had immediately ordered his forces to stand down and desperately called the Republic fleet for a ceasefire.

After a few tense moments, they had agreed, but the former Emperor was forced to pull out every political trick he knew in order to deflect the blame from the First Order, and so far, it seemed to be working. Of course, that was when Mata Nui appeared via hologram, continuing the negotiation without missing a beat.

"Axonn, is he telling the truth?" The attention shifted to one of the large biomechanical warriors guarding the Republic delegation, the one holding a rather intimidating axe.

"He is." The warrior said after a moment. "And so are the technicians. Attacking us directly was never their intention."

"Very well." Mata Nui clasped his arms behind his back. "But accident or not, we cannot let such transgressions go unaddressed."

"We are more than willing to make concessions." Palpatine replied. "Within reason, of course."

They were quick to discuss what kind of concessions the First Order would grant, but hit a snag when it came to how Remnant would be treated. Representatives from their Councils desired the First Order to remain and honor their agreements.

One of the chief proponents for this was Jacques Schnee, who's company had suffered heavily during the attack. Alongside other Kingdom Councils, especially Atlas', they laid out their grievances with the Republic, specifically how their orbital bombardment against the Phazon-enhanced Grimm had led to significant collateral damage among the Kingdoms.

"As the Supreme Leader said. Considering your forces caused the most damage to our Kingdoms," Jacques said. "I hardly see how you have the moral high ground here."

...

In the end, even Ironwood reluctantly agreed that whatever the conflict between the Republic and the First Order, the Kingdoms of Remnant didn't want any part in it. In turn, Mata Nui ordered their forces to leave the planet, themselves, their forces already teleporting away.

Samus herself had already left, dispatched by Mata Nui to see if she could locate Dark Samus and Salem. No one on the Republic side believed that the former had been destroyed, her nemesis especially. She was but the first, and the last set to leave were the Order members who had once guarded the Ignika.

However, just before Axonn and Brutaka were to leave as well, they were approached by several kids, who they quickly recognized as the ones who had fought against Salem and her minions.

"Can we help you?" Axonn asked.

"In a manner of speaking." Oscar Pine replied. "How many of your spies are on our world right now?" There was a brief pause that Brutaka was quick to fill.

"What spies?" The armored warrior replied calmly. "All Republic forces have left your world."

"I'm sure." Blake muttered under her breath.

"That's a shame." Oscar replied. "Because I believe we can help each other, especially if you want information regarding Salem."

"You have our attention."

...

Elsewhere, the Jedi were having their own meeting, with the Knights who had participated at Remnant giving their report to the Council. But it was one specific part that was cause for alarm, especially given who was saying it.

"You're certain that's what she said?" Luke needed to know, holding out hope that his son might've been mistaken.

"Positive. She said Snoke has been possessed by Palpatine."

"We need to tell Mata Nui of this." Kyle Katarn noted. "If this is true, we face a major problem."

"We're taking the word of a known liar?" Kyp Durron argued. "This isn't the first deception she's made."

"We can't afford to dismiss this out of hand." Jaina replied.

"I agree." Luke said after a moment. "Whether or not Vestara is lying, this is something Mata Nui needs to know about."

...

On a barren plane, a strange portal briefly appeared, which spat out a cloud of glowing blue particles and glowing orange particles. The two clouds were quick to coalesce as the portal vanished, revealing their true forms.

Two figures stood there, both weakened by the conflict that they had escaped. This barren and isolated moon was all they had left now, far from any noticeable location in the multiverse.

The two once powerful figures now had to resign themselves to where they were.

...

Back aboard Omega, Maul had watched as the fleet leapt away from the chaotic battle, barely able to escape with their lives. Atriox had managed to escape, as well as most of the Dark Hunters, but it was still a harrowing experience.

But much more worrying was the fact that Dark Samus was still alive, even after the events of the Tidal Wave. The presence of Phazon in those Grimm creatures had been undeniable, and had only contributed to the sheer chaos their evacuation had become.

But more to the point, it was only a reminder of how weak the Zabrak was. Between his former and resurrected Master, Mata Nui, those heroes, many of the inhabitants of Remnant, and now Dark Samus, every one of those beings eclipsed his own ability.

He was strong, but it was clear that he was not strong enough. And yet, he had a way to fix that. One that could very well change him forever, potentially granting the Sith Lord power beyond his wildest dreams.

When the Energized Protodermis being had emerged and told him that he was destined to transform, Maul's first thought was to take the offer, but the revelation that the process was somewhat random had caused him to hesitate, ultimately refusing to take the offer to change.

Now though, he was beginning to reconsider, especially after seeing what the substance had already done for his criminal empire. They had advanced by leaps and bounds, and actually being able to rival if not surpass the Republic now seemed attainable, as opposed to just a pipe dream.

Fear had kept Maul from truly discovering what he would become. Now, that fear was no more. Walking over to the control console overlooking Omega's bridge, he called up a hologram of the Shadowed One.

"Lord Maul." The Dark Hunter greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I need to see you, and your bodyguard."

…

Several minutes later, the Sith Lord was standing in front of an open portal, with the Shadowed One and Sentrakh across from him. Standing behind him were two of his Mandalorian guards, who were clearly uncomfortable with what was happening.

"You're sure you want to do this?" The Shadowed One asked, lacking any real concern in his voice. "This may just turn you into a mindless monster, after all. The Protocairns are proof of that."

"I'm aware of the stakes." Maul snapped. "But I have no intention of avoiding my destiny any longer."

The Shadowed One backed down at that, leaving Maul to do what he came for. With a single step, he fell into the pool, completely submerged from sight. Five seconds later, his hand emerged from the pit.

* * *

 **Duh, duh, duh, duh! So, this chapter had a lot of moving parts, and trust me, things will become much more important in the future. I know the last two chapters have been kind of messy, and I apologize for that.**

 **Hopefully, coming chapters won't be as much of a clusterfuck. But it's definitely going to be the next chapter where everything really picks up, including some revelations I've been planning for a while. How and why? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	7. Shadows fall

**Alright, so this chapter is going to be rather short compared to the last two, but it's also incredibly vital to read. It mostly consists of a couple of scenes, one of which I have been waiting to do for a while, and it will shake up the plot rather heavily.**

 **How and why? Well, you'll just have to read on to find out. And with all that said, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, RWBY, the MCU, Bionicle or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Palpatine sat on the floor of his sanctum, the darkness swallowing up the light as he meditated, searching for insights into the Force. The fiasco at Remnant had left him with a lot of questions, several of which he needed to answer.

Hux's punishment had already been dealt with, and the sniveling little worm was fortunate enough to be alive. The only reason Palpatine hadn't executed him for his incompetence was the fact that the General was still one of the most skilled officers the First Order had available.

But the Sith Lord had a different question in mind, one that had been nagging at him since the planning stages for the assault on Remnant: How had he known about Raven's Semblance in the first place?

It wasn't that he was displeased to have known about it; it had allowed the First Order access to Remnant and was part of the reason they had gotten off as well as they had. But the fact remained that someone or something had given him that knowledge, and it definitely wasn't the Force.

So, this led to where he was now. Feeling the currents of the Force, letting the Dark Side flow through him as he meditated. Of course, it was hard to ignore how the Force had changed, a constant scar from the Tidal Wave could be forever felt among the energy.

But despite the damage, it could still do what Sidious required, and that was all that mattered. With patience born of a lifetime of training, Sidious waited as the Dark Side flowed through him. He didn't know how long it had been, but finally, a figure appeared in his mind's eye. His own eyes opened and then narrowed.

"Of course."

...

Several minutes later, the figures of Captain Phasma, General Hux, Raven and Red Skull were gathered in the Supreme Leader's throne room. He had left the Knights of Ren out of this, given how they were still recuperating from Remnant, and instead had several ordinary and elite guards lining the walls.

The Phase III Dark Trooper was standing openly near the entrance, drawing an aura of tension into the air as Snoke's body walked onto the dais. He stood above them, but refused to actually get in his throne.

"I sense you're wondering why I called for you." The Supreme Leader got straight to the point. "Someone in this room has been deceiving me." There were nervous looks all around, particularly from Hux. "And that will no longer be tolerated." The tension was almost palpable now, as even Raven and Red Skull were looking alarmed.

Without warning, Palpatine hurled a burst of Force lightning... at the Phase III Dark Trooper idly standing behind the gathering. The energy from the attack was powerful enough to send the droid flying, hitting the other side of the room with a loud thud before clattering to the ground.

"Your Highness... I'm afraid I don't understand." Hux said after a moment. "How could the droid deceive you?"

"Because this is no mere droid." Palpatine unleashed another blast of lightning. "It has been manipulating us ever since the Flood were destroyed, have you not?" The Phase III silently rose to its feet and stood quietly. Not to be outdone, Snoke's body gestured, holding it in the air with the Force and unleashing a third bolt of lightning. "Answer me!"

There was a brief moment of silence, leaving enough time for the others in the room to question their leader's sanity, before the Dark Trooper started to laugh in a voice that was most certainly not programmed into its vocal modulator.

"Well done." The droid suddenly hurled a bolt of lightning of its own at Palpatine, forcing the Sith Lord to defend himself and allowing the Dark Trooper to land harmlessly on the ground. "You play the game competently... for an amateur. Of course, it took longer than I expected for you to catch on."

Raven pulled out her sword while Red Skull pulled out a blaster rifle, just as Palpatine was preparing to attack once more and all the guards got into a combat position. The droid hurled another bolt of lightning, this time striking Red Skull.

The lightning didn't just stop with him, arcing out from person to person and electrocuting everyone in the room. It's purpose wasn't to kill, merely hurt, which it did quite well as the ordinary troopers were left writhing on the floor.

Red Skull, Raven and Palpatine had managed to recover rather quickly, with the former taking aim with his disrupter. Suddenly, the weapon was torn out of his hand, which then smacked him in the face before doing the same to Raven.

Palpatine sent a powerful Force Push, which knocked the Dark Trooper against the wall and allowed all the soldiers and warriors to recover. The droid also rose to its feet, creating a brief stand off between the one droid and all the organics in the room. The silence was shattered with Palpatine's command.

"Take him!"

That was all he had time to say before it suddenly felt as if the gravity had increased tenfold, forcing them all to their knees. They struggled against the overwhelming force, while the Droid stood there calmly.

"I believe that's enough to prove my point." Suddenly the field of gravity lessened, allowing everyone in the room to at least look up at the droid. "You will all serve me now."

"Do you really think I'll stoop to serve a machine?" Sidious spat. This elicited a chuckle from the Dark trooper.

"There is something I have learned about organics." Suddenly, Palpatine, Raven, Red Skull, Hux and Phasma were doubled over in pain. "You are especially vulnerable to Poison."

Searing agony swept through their bodies as this unknown toxin flowed through their veins. Truthfully, it had been present in their bodies for some time, undetectable and harmless until triggered by a second poison. The Dark Trooper walked towards Palpatine, Raven and Schmidt, who were suffering the worst of all.

"It was rather difficult for you three. I had to make a unique concoction for each of you. Oh and Your Highness, the more you try to use the Force to detoxify yourself, the worse it will get."

"Who-who are you?!" Red Skull gasped, trying and failing to rise. An unnatural darkness began creeping into the room as the Dark Trooper approached the downed super soldier.

"I am your new leader." The droid lifted Red Skull up. "And you are going to help me."

...

The people in Wakanda had recovered quite well since the events of Thanos' invasion and the subsequent Tidal Wave. Between Republic aid and their own work, life in the nation had almost returned to a degree of normalcy.

Naturally, that sense of peacefulness was shattered when a twenty foot tall biomechanical dragon appeared in the middle of the city, seemingly out of nowhere. The Wakandan guards nearby were quick to respond, but a blast of Shadow had sent them flying before they could do anything.

The dragon screamed, its voice loud enough and powerful enough to crack even the Vibranium glass in Wakanda. Everyone nearby doubled over in pain, most with bleeding ears from the sheer strength of its voice.

And through the scream, a single question could be heard.

"WHERE! IS! TERIDAX?!"

* * *

 **Well... shit. That certainly just happened. I'll expand on this in the next chapter, but just to be clear, it was Makuta Teridax who was hiding in Snoke's Phase III Dark Trooper, and he's going to become much more relevant in this story now.**

 **Why is he in Wakanda now and how does Miserix (the dragon attacking the city, in case that wasn't clear) know he's there? You're just going to have to wait for the next chapter in order to find out. But trust me, it'll be good. I have been waiting for so long to reveal this twist, and I'm definitely going to make good use of it.**

 **Anyway, with all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	8. Teridax Returns

**Alright, and now we begin the next chapter. And seriously, this was a long time coming. I won't waste time with unnecessary details, so let's dive straight in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, the MCU, Star Wars, or anything else that is referenced in this story.**

* * *

*One hour ago.*

Makuta Miserix stalked through the halls of the SHIELD base known as the Playground, his form much smaller than normal so he could fit, following the procession of SHIELD agents as they led him, Takanuva and several other Republic officials on a tour of their facility.

The Makuta hadn't been happy to be sent through something he saw as menial, but he was still loyal to Mata Nui, and followed the Great Spirit's instructions. He was barely listening to the tour at this point, having already scanned the minds of everyone and gaining all the necessary details.

With SHIELD's status somewhat restored after the Tidal Wave, the agency had been working more closely with both the Republic and the Avengers, while also working to ease the public's mind after the whole incident with HYDRA.

To add to this, they were also doing some recruiting of their own, especially to some of the 'lesser' heroes of the world. They had recruited several heroes from New York, named Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Danny Rand, Colleen Wing and Matt Murdock. They were also planning to recruit the teens Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen, from New Orleans, but that was still ongoing.

Miserix was barely listening to the tour as he trailed behind the procession. Which was why he noticed a little human girl as she approached from a side door. Her thoughts were a scrambled mess, but a name stood out: Robin Hinton, a young Inhuman girl who had the ability to see the future.

"What do you want?" Miserix growled, as the young girl approached him.

"This is yours." Robin said, handing the Makuta a crudely drawn image.

Confused, Miserix looked it over regardless. It wasn't very artistic, being an image of the Earth with the area of Africa, specifically the nation of Wakanda, being highlighted. But it was the specific image over Wakanda that drew his attention: a clear rendering of the Mask of Shadows.

Miserix's eyes glowed as his heat vision activated, burning the paper into ash. And before any of the SHIELD agents, Republic officials or Takanuva could question what was wrong, he teleported away.

Seconds later, he was on a cliff face overlooking the Wakandan capital city, his Chameleon Power activating to hide him from sight. He paused to collect his thoughts, before spreading his awareness through the city, telepathically searching for that familiar presence. He could've just been overreacting, or perhaps the girl had made a mistake.

But he felt that familiar mental presence, even though he couldn't detect the exact location. At that moment, anger clouded Miserix's judgement as his form grew and he teleported directly into the city center.

...

*Now*

The Wakandan military hadn't taken long to notice the rampaging biomechanical dragon in their midst, and the first response airship had already arrived, deploying soldiers to evacuate civilians while the ship started firing on the Makuta.

Miserix hit the ship with a concentrated sonic blast, the frequency just enough to disrupt the Vibranium and cause it to go spinning out of control. The spear wielding soldiers were also easily dealt with (non-lethally) as the Makuta continued his journey.

"I know he's here!" Miserix roared. "I will find Teridax, even if I have to tear this city apart myself!"

That was when Miserix was sent sprawling by a blast of purple kinetic energy, as Black Panther made himself known by punching the dragon in the face. He unsheathed his claws as the Makuta began to rise.

"Surrender now, outsider." T'Challa ordered. "I will not ask again."

"Not until I find him." Miserix sent a burst of gravity that knocked the Wakandan King back. "So stay out of my way."

Of course, the leader of Wakanda had no plan to do that. Just as he began to charge forward at high speed, Black Panther slowed to a crawl, allowing Miserix to accurately backhand him away into the cockpit of yet another airship.

Liberal uses of his Sonic, Magnetic and Gravity powers easily allowed Miserix to deal with more Wakandan airships as they attempted to halt his search of the city, all of which barely slowed him down. Of course, that changed when someone else appeared.

A beam of light burst down from the sky, the rainbow energy causing Miserix to shield his eyes before it abruptly cut off, leaving a caped man holding an axe while lightning crawled up his body.

"I'll admit, I've never fought a robot dragon." Thor shrugged. "I suppose there's a first time for everything."

"I know of you, Odinson." Miserix snarled. "My quarrel is not with you, Thunder God. But you don't want to be my enemy."

"And you're intelligent too." The God of Thunder noted. "Then you will listen to me now; you will stand down and surrender, Dragon. You are hardly the worst adversary I've faced." Miserix chuckled at that.

"You've never faced a Makuta before."

A cyclone appeared and sent the God flying, simultaneously knocking one of the Wakandan ships away. Thor was quick to recover, and the weather changed, as lightning was called down from the heavens on top of the dragon.

Miserix twisted far faster than a being his size had any right to, narrowly avoiding the blast of lightning. Thor followed up by flying towards him with Stormbreaker, but a quick shift of density had the God of Thunder flying right through the Makuta.

Before Thor could try another lightning strike, the clouds began dispersing, with Miserix using his own power over the weather to do so. While Thor was distracted, Miserix blasted him with Shadow, bringing the God to his knees.

The continuous blast of Shadow was cut off when Black Panther leapt onto the Dragon's back and onto his head, his claws digging into the Protosteel armor. But they weren't nearly thick enough to cut through, and Miserix pulled the King off and hurled him away, blasting him with Heat Vision as he did so. Because of this, he failed to notice Thor's attack until it was too late.

Thor hurled Stormbreaker, the lightning infused dwarf weapon remained unaffected by Miserix's magnetic power and embedded itself deep into his armor. The Makuta cursed as antidermis began leaking out of the wound, before hitting the God of Thunder with a blast of plasma, sending him flying.

A clawed hand pulled the axe out before tossing it aside, but the arrival of more Wakandan gunships were more than willing to capitalize on the weakness, firing energy blasts at him.

Miserix's Magnetic powers sent half of the Vibranium ships colliding with the other half, once again knocking them out of control. Thor countered with a massive blast of lightning causing the Makuta to scream in pain, before calling Stormbreaker back to him.

Suddenly, the God of Thunder felt his eyes grow heavy, his body strangely growing sleepy. Around him, several Wakandans were clearly feeling the same, and several even passed out.

Meanwhile, Thor attempted to power through it, but a vacuum blast sent him flying into one of Wakanda's buildings. Now alert and pissed off, Thor summoned another storm, causing lightning to strike him and power him up.

But before either of them could make a move, a figure appeared in the center of the street, unleashing a bright white light that forced everyone in the vicinity to protect their eyes.

"ENOUGH!" Takanuva shouted.

The Toa of Light had appeared alongside Director Coulson and several other SHIELD agents, as even more Wakandan Guards appeared, their spears all pointed in the Makuta's direction.

Takanuva's mask spread its power, doing everything to spread calm emotions through the crowd as he looked towards Thor and T'Challa, the latter of which had his helmet retracted with a cold look on his face.

"Your highness, I would like to sincerely apologize for this." Coulson said to T'Challa.

"Why would you need to apologize, Son of Coul?" Thor interjected. "It's not your fault that this beast chose to go on a rampage."

Miserix growled at that, but a glare from Takanuva (as well as the dozens of Wakandan weapons pointed at him) kept the Makuta silent. Quickly, Coulson explained how Miserix had been with them at the Playground, but was cut off by T'Challa.

"I am more interested in why this 'Makuta' decided to rampage through Wakanda." His voice was low with contained anger, something the other Wakandans could agree with.

"Well, Miserix?" Takanuva crossed his arms. "That's an answer we'd all like to know."

"It's because Teridax is here, in this city." That answer had Takanuva taking a noticeable step back, but everyone else was just looking confused.

"That's not possible." The Toa of Light asserted. "He's dead."

"Evidently not anymore." Miserix still clutched his chest wound as he spoke, trying to keep more of his essence from leaking out. "The seer child showed me an image that he was here. And even now, I can sense his presence in this city."

Everyone else was feeling locked out of the loop, but it was Coulson who asked the obvious question.

"Who's Teridax?"

...

*Several days ago*

Shuri walked into her lab near the Sacred Mound, mulling over the work she had helped complete with Stark and Artakha. They had learned quite a lot from their work, and that had only improved when they managed to meet up with Eitri, as a favor from Thor.

Their work together had allowed them all to learn how to manipulate Vibranium, nanotech, hard light, Asgardian metals and Protodermis and even combine them, which promised unique opportunities in the future.

But that was for a later date. While she had enjoyed the opportunities she had with other intelligent minds, she still desired some time of her own to work, especially now. She wanted to take her own time, especially to experiment with some of the new material she had access to.

But as she walked into her lab, she found it surprisingly dark, not pitch black, but darker than it should've been. The Princess of Wakanda walked to the center of her lab, activating the lights with a wave of her hand, but it still remained dark.

As she approached her control console, she heard a clanking sound of heavy footsteps right behind her, spinning around to see a large figure approaching from the shadows.

"Greetings, Shuri." It stepped slightly into what little light there was as it spoke. "I have been waiting for you."

It was clearly a machine, with darkness clinging to its body to keep any distinct features from showing up. The only thing not covered in darkness were its eyes, both glowing red. As she thought about calling for the guards, the machine spoke again, its voice unnerving in its tone.

"The guards outside won't hear you scream. All they see right now is you, hard at work."

"What do you want?"

"You," The machine stepped closer. "are going to build something for me."

"And why would I do that?" Shuri countered, refusing to let her fear show. But the robot seemed to sense it anyway.

"Well, if you want your mother to live," The machine stepped aside, allowing Shuri to see her mother in some sort of Stasis field. "you will do exactly as I say."

"What have you done?!" She moved to grab her Sonic blasters, but they were suddenly pulled out of her reach by an invisible force. The machine loomed over her as it tossed them aside.

"Sabotage the work, and she dies. Alert your brother, any of the Avengers, or the Republic and she dies. Lie to me and, well you get the picture."

"And if I refuse to help you at all?" Shuri countered again, crossing her arms. "You could just kill us now, I'm sure."

The machine said nothing. Instead, the stasis field dropped and it unleashed a continuous bolt of electricity from its hand, striking Ramonda and causing the Queen Mother to scream in agony.

"Mother!" Shuri cried, her facade cracking as she tried to rush forward, only to hit what felt like an invisible wall. Her eyes were drawn to the lab's entrance where the guards didn't even react to the screams of their Queen Mother. Eventually, the robot cut off the electric current and grabbed Ramonda, and instantly all her wounds were healed.

"Do you need more incentive?" The robot asked. "Because I can make her know pain beyond imagining. I can keep her alive to torture her for days, and you will watch every second of it."

"Shuri." Ramonda gasped, coughing in the robot's grip. "Don't- AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" This time, a small blade made of plasma carved a hole into her cheek.

"STOP IT!" Shuri shouted and the robot did, healing the cut as quickly as it appeared. "I will do what you ask."

"Shuri..." That was all Ramonda had time to say before the stasis field was back up. Meanwhile, the machine merely gestured at a nearby control pad and a holographic schematic popped up.

"Get to work."

...

*Now*

Makuta Teridax watched as the project neared completion. He didn't care that Shuri was working with little true rest, nor did he care about the excuse she'd had to use to explain why she and Ramonda would be unavailable for the near future. All that mattered was that she would complete her task.

It had taken weeks of observation and Red Skull's less than willing cooperation to learn all that he could about his world. He had more plans of course, but for now, he needed what Wakanda had to offer, and to be more precise, what Shuri had to offer.

The knowledge she had gained from Artakha would undoubtedly prove useful in the future, and it was obviously proving that usefulness right now. Once the work was complete, the damage he'd done to disguise this body would no longer matter.

There were complications of course: Miserix's arrival in Wakanda had been unexpected and rather unwelcome, but his narrow minded drive to find him had put him in conflict with the locals.

Teridax knew that wouldn't last, but it didn't need to. His telepathy already showed that Shuri was nearly done. It was rather amazing to know that these humans were so easy to manipulate: just hurt those they love and they'll do anything to save them.

"It's finished." Shuri said abruptly, turning away as the fabricator had indeed completed its task.

The Makuta scanned the young girl's mind once more, searching for any signs of deception and finding none. A brief look at the data readouts around them confirmed it, leaving Teridax quite pleased with the result.

By his order, Shuri had constructed a new body for his essence, forged with Protosteel and layered with armor composed of Vibranium and Asgardian metals. Nanotechnology was incorporated into the whole design, based on the Panther Habit and Iron Man's latest armor, in addition to a variety of other tricks added.

Teridax wasted no time in abandoning the Dark Trooper body and entered the new one, his Antidermis slipping inside and taking control. The body shifted into a facsimile of his former Shadow Titan form, and he shifted his face into a copy of the Mask of Shadows.

His red eyes looked at familiar hands and the Makuta smirked, feeling complete access to his powers restored. He confirmed that theory when his chest charged with power and a Shadow Hand emerged, grabbing the Dark Trooper and absorbing the machine into his larger form.

"Excellent." Teridax laughed, turning to Shuri. "You have done well, little one."

"I did what you asked." Shuri snarled. "Now let my mother go!"

"Ah yes, I suppose that was the deal." Teridax dropped the stasis field, causing Shuri to rush over to her mother. "However, I believe your usefulness has run its course."

With Shuri helping her mother up, neither was in a position to avoid another Shadow Hand. But a blur of black knocked the two women out of the tendril's path. Black Panther unsheathed his claws as he gave a single order.

"Both of you, run!"

The two followed T'Challa's instructions as the Dora Milaje were waiting to escort them out. Meanwhile, Black Panther leapt towards Teridax, but a blast of Shadow sent him flying towards the lab entrance, knocking him into Okoye in the process.

Suddenly, Teridax himself had been hurled into the lab window, the force actually cracking the glass. Thor held Stormbreaker in his hand as he moved to capitalize on his opponent's sudden shock.

Unfortunately for the God of Thunder, the Makuta recovered even faster than he had anticipated. In mid-leap, Teridax simply teleported Thor into orbit. The Master of Shadows didn't have a chance to celebrate, as a beam of light struck him head on.

"Takanuva." Makuta chuckled in spite of the light. "It's been a long time."

Takanuva didn't let up. Instead he refined his light even further into a powerful laser. The laser beam had enough power to slice through Protosteel. Unfortunately, Teridax's new body wasn't just Protosteel, and even the Light itself wasn't having as much of an effect.

"How?!" Takanuva shouted. "How are you alive?"

"Toa of Light, still so afraid." Teridax lashed out with a Shadow bolt, as well as a burst of fear. "As you should be."

"TERIDAX!" Miserix made his entrance into the lab, wrecking it even further as the wounded Makuta launched his own attack, catching Teridax with a bolt of lightning.

Takanuva was quick to recover as well, and together, the Toa and Makuta struck at their hated foe. Light and Shadow lashed out, but Teridax teleported away before it could impact.

"Where did he go?" T'Challa entered once again, asking the question they all had on their minds. The answer was quick to appear over the entrance to Wakanda's Sacred Mound.

A vortex of red-black shadow energy appeared from the mound, two red glowing eyes appearing within as dark laughter echoed through Wakanda. The sun was swallowed up by dark clouds, with the Makuta's shadow falling everywhere.

Despite the sudden Shadows, a massive bolt of lightning struck the heart of the cyclone, disrupting it as the God of Thunder made his grand return. The vortex dispersed as Thor passed through it, but there was no sign of Teridax.

...

The gathering of allies met up in Shuri's lab as the explanation of who Teridax was continued. They had been fortunate enough to deduce his location in time to save Shuri and Ramonda, the latter of whom was already being looked after by Wakanda's doctors. Just as the explanation continued, Artakha teleported in.

"I heard the news." The builder quickly said. "I take it that-"

"It was him." Miserix interjected, his armor still getting patched up. "It was Teridax."

"Mata Nui needs to know about this, right now." Takanuva continued. "If Teridax is alive, his mere existence poses a great risk to us all."

"He'll be even more dangerous than you know." Shuri said. "While he was holding us here, he forced me to create a new body for him." She looked pointedly at Artakha. "Using the materials we've been working with."

"Then we need to find him, and fast." Artakha said, but Thor interjected once more.

"Then that begs the question: where would he go next?"

...

It was the middle of the night in New York when Doctor Strange walked out of a Sling Ring Portal into the Sanctum lobby, immediately drawing Wong's attention. The Sorcerer was moving quickly and it was clear that he had an important goal in mind.

"Strange, what is it?"

"I just got word from our Republic friends." The Doctor replied. "It seems an old enemy of theirs is on our world and may be coming for the Vahi."

"Then we must protect it." Wong pulled out his Sling Ring. "I will rally the other Mystics. You secure the Mask."

Strange nodded in agreement as Wong summoned and then vanished into the magical portal, Strange made his way up the stairs and through the door that led to the Mask.

Inside the crossroads between the three Sanctums, where the Eye of Agamotto once rested, now the orange Kanohi Vahi sat on a plinth in its place. The Doctor moved to retrieve it, but his hands passed through empty air as the Vahi suddenly faded.

As soon as the Mask vanished, Strange suddenly found himself imprisoned in a sphere marked with magical runes. Outside of the magical trap stood Wong and Doctor Strange, looking at the man who had attempted to take the Mask.

"Did you really think that would work?" Strange said, causing his doppelganger to smirk.

"Very good." The voice of Makuta Teridax emerged from the imprisoned Strange. "It seems you aren't as foolish as I would've thought."

"You weren't exactly subtle about it." Wong countered. "Did you really believe that you could just walk in and take the Mask like that?"

"Actually, yes." Teridax turned to face them fully, still in Strange's form. "But I can settle for just killing you two."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Strange gestured to the shield that surrounded the Makuta. "I know what you are, Makuta. And even you can't break out of that. For such a smart guy, you were fairly easy to trap."

"Was I?" Suddenly, the figure in the force field disappeared as the voice came from behind them. "You are not the only one who knows how to use illusions."

A shift in Gravity pulled the two Masters of the Mystic Arts back into the New York Sanctum, where Teridax stood in the lobby, clad in his Shadow Titan form. The biomechanical being loomed over the two as Shadow began gathering in his hands.

"I will ask just once: Give me the Mask of Time." Strange and Wong responded by summoning magical mandalas into their hands. "So be it."

...

"Uh Mr. Stark? I'm seeing a light show in Strange's house. I think he's fighting someone in there."

"Thanks for the update kid, I'm on my way. In the meantime, stay put."

"But-"

"I mean it, Parker."

...

Despite Teridax's best efforts, Doctor Strange and Wong had managed to keep the Master of Shadows on the defensive, partially because of the Sanctum's own enchantments, as well as some clever Sling Ring portal redirection.

However, Teridax gave as good as he got, with a burst of Confusion followed by chain lightning managed to catch Wong in the chest, hurling the senior Mystic through a display. This gave the Makuta a chance to focus on the Doctor.

Another Shadow Hand was redirected into another dimension before Strange retaliated, sending a Mirror Dimension Portal towards the Makuta. Teridax teleported out of the way, as the Doctor tracked his teleport just as Makuta gathered Shadow in his hand once again, and hurled it, this time before Strange could fully protect himself.

Just as Strange was blasted back by the Shadow bolt, he launched his own attack against the Makuta while Wong opened a Portal behind him. The lightning staggered Teridax, sending right into Wong's hastily created portal.

The Makuta was thrown outside the Sanctum, his body screeching against the road as a car swerved to avoid him. A car on the other side couldn't break in time, but the merest sample of Teridax's magnetic power had it halted in its tracks.

Unsurprisingly, this caused a massive pile up of cars in the center of the road, which caused the drivers and passengers to start exiting their vehicles, with many of them screaming and running.

The Makuta paid them little mind, idly noting that the portal had dropped him a couple blocks away from the Sanctum. Before he could act to fix that, something struck him in the back, causing Teridax to stagger forward.

"You lost, buddy?" The Makuta turned to see Spider-Man clinging to a street light post. "Times Square is that way." He gestured deeper into the city. Teridax was not amused.

"Gnat." Makuta unleashed a concentrated blast of Sonics, striking the hero and blasting him through the lamp post and one of the buildings, launching him all the way through it.

To Teridax's surprise, Spider-Man had survived that, but before he could rectify that, Iron Man landed and unleashed a massive energy blast, hurling the Makuta down the road.

"I told you to stay put!" Iron Man said as Spider-Man emerged from the front of the store.

"He was teleported in front of me." Peter protested. "I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

Tony's attempt to reply was interrupted when a blast of energy staggered him and disintegrated the chest plate and helmet of his armor. Fortunately, the Arc Reactor was undamaged and the suit reformed just in time form a shield that blocked the plasma blast Teridax sent next.

Tony launched himself into the air, and began to pepper the Makuta with more artillery fire, but all that was halted when the Gravity increased and Iron Man was launched straight into the ground, forming a crater as Teridax only increased the Gravity further.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man had swung away after the Plasma bolt, and while Teridax was focused on crushing his mentor, Peter responded by firing webbing into Teridax's eyes before kicking the Makuta in the chest, staggering the mechanical being and allowing Tony to get free.

His blindness only lasted as long as it took for lasers to emerge from his eyes. The beams followed Spider-Man as he swung past, the Makuta heedless of the collateral damage he was causing to the surrounding buildings.

"How many powers does this guy have?"

"According to the Republic..." Tony fired a powerful energy beam into Teridax's chest, which didn't even scorch the armor. "About 43 or 44, depending on what you count as powers."

"Seriously?" Spider-Man's eyes widened, especially when a bolt of lightning erupted from Makuta's hand and brought Iron Man to the ground.

"Am I supposed to be impressed, Stark?" Teridax's gaze turned to Spider-Man, who was swinging around the street. "You may be an annoyance, but that's all you are."

Teridax's arm stretched, his elasticity power allowing him to grab Spider-Man before he could get out of range. He began draining the young hero's energy with Hunger, but that didn't last, as an energy beam impacted his back, forcing him to drop him.

"Perhaps we shall make this more challenging then." Vision said, as his beam began to heat the Makuta's armor. That was until his fire resistance power activated.

"Three of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, all for me." Teridax snarked. "You should have brought more."

Teridax disrupted Vision's molecules, causing the Android to fall to the ground. His Vibranium body was much hardier and more difficult to damage however, and Vision recovered enough to phase through the ground.

Undeterred, Teridax waited until Vision came up behind him, then used his own density control to grab the Android. Without hesitation, Teridax triggered his Sonic power, the frequency enough to slowly tear Vision apart.

A blast from Iron Man knocked Vision out of the Makuta's hand, and the unexpected impact of Spider-Man sent him into the web line that he had set up, tripping the Makuta and knocking him onto the ground. Annoyed, Teridax attempted to shatter him, but the young hero deftly avoided the energy beam in a way that even his Dodge power would be hard-pressed to emulate.

"You know, they said that you were supposed to be dangerous." Tony snarked. "But so far, I'm not seeing it." Teridax's answering smirk was chilling.

"If you insist."

Having become tired of playing around, Teridax activated his magnetic power, stopping Vision, Spider-Man and Iron Man in their tracks before he began crushing them in their armor. But he was staggered by a telekinetic grabbing him, throwing him away and cutting the magnetic power off.

"Hands off." An accented voice ordered as Teridax briefly became a plaything for this new attacker.

But a burst of fear disrupted her focus long enough for Makuta to recover and see who had appeared. Scarlet Witch had joined the fight, and Doctor Strange wasn't far behind, flying in with the Cloak of Levitation, mandalas around his hands. Iron Man, Vision and Spider-Man weren't far behind as the Avengers encircled him.

"It's over." Vision stated, as the Makuta found himself surrounded. Teridax was prepared to say otherwise and continue the fight when another dimensional rift opened and Mata Nui stepped out, his eyes locking onto the Master of Shadows.

"It is you." The Republic leader whispered in shock.

"So nice to see you, Brother." Makuta's eyes narrowed before he unleashed a wave of shadow energy, knocking them all back.

"This is only the beginning." The Makuta said as a portal appeared right behind him. Generated by his new body, the dimensional portal enveloped Teridax before anyone could react, teleporting him away.

"He's back." Mata Nui whispered. "I had hoped it wasn't true."

"Alright, who was that?" Peter asked.

"My brother." Mata Nui replied. "He's supposed to be dead." He turned to the Doctor. "Strange, did he-"

"He doesn't have it." With a wave of his arms, a copy of the Eye of Agamotto appeared on Strange's neck. Another magical gesture opened it, but instead of the green of the Time Stone, the shrunken form of the Kanohi Vahi rested instead, tinged with an orange and green color.

"Then there is one piece of good news to come out of this day." Mata Nui sighed. "Because things have just gotten much worse."

...

In the heart of the Supremacy sat the Throne room of the Supreme Leader. The room was decorated with shades of red, and it wasn't the most well lit room, with most of the light provided by lights in the tall ceiling, as well as the starlight from the nearby viewport. In this case, there were also holo terminals active to provide extra illumination.

Palpatine sat on his throne, looking over the holo displays. Despite his calm disposition, inwardly he was furious. Being the puppet leader for a rampant machine was not an experience he was enjoying.

"You better get used to it." His eyes narrowed at the voice. "This is the way things are now."

A being stepped from the Shadows, this 'Makuta' as he called himself. He no longer looked like a Dark Trooper. Instead his new body towered over the previous machine, primarily black in color with touches of red thrown in. A strange mask was over his face, or perhaps part of it now, considering the smirk he wore on it.

"Besides, it's not like your role has changed." Teridax continued. "You are still the leader of the First Order, and you still retain your power over your galaxy."

"But I answer to you." With the swipe of his hand, Palpatine deactivated all the terminals. "Why even keep me alive? You know I'm not Snoke and you know what I've done. Why not just kill me?"

"Kill you?" Teridax chuckled. "Why would I deprive myself of a useful servant when I don't have to?" Palpatine bristled at that, which the Makuta picked up on. "I could kill you of course, take your place and rule over the First Order myself, but I have greater goals in mind."

"And what of the Red Skull?" Palpatine asked. "What part does he play in this?"

"Red Skull will have further roles to play." Teridax responded. "Especially on his homeworld. And all you need to know is that you will do as I say."

"By your will." Palpatine ground out. "But understand one thing, Makuta. This isn't over." Teridax's smirk never left his mask, even when a dimensional portal appeared and enveloped him.

"Of course it isn't. That would be terribly boring if it was."

...

In a shadowed corner of Starkiller Base, a dimensional portal appeared and a figure stepped out. Despite the increased sensors, no alarms were raised, and as such, no one noticed as Teridax pulled a trio of Kraata from his essence.

"Go, my sons." The Makuta whispered as he let the Kraata go and they disappeared through the room. "Spread my shadows. And bring the First Order to its knees."

* * *

 **Holy crap, this chapter was a long time coming. And man was it worth it. Suffice to say, things are going to shake up even more dramatically now, especially with the Bionicle version of Satan on the prowl. So if you're a fan of Teridax, rest assured, he will be showing up a lot more now.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and reviews are always welcome.**


	9. Planning and Scheming

**So, it's time to begin the next chapter, specifically one where the Republic is aware that Teridax is alive and on the loose. And trust me, this will have a lot of ramifications in the future.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, Star Wars, Halo or anything else referenced in this story.**

* * *

Republic High Command meetings had been gaining more and more tension with each passing day. It was bad enough with the First Order growing in strength, the criminal factions having access to Energized Protodermis, or Supreme Leader Snoke being possessed by the spirit of Palpatine, but the latest bad news had increased that tension tenfold.

With Teridax's survival revealed, he had now jumped up to the top of the Republic's threat list, and for good reason. The newest members of the Republic were given a brief history of the Makuta and all the things that he could do.

"Ok, that's definitely a long list." Phil Coulson was present for this particular meeting via hologram, as he was looking over a datapad that listed all of Teridax's powers and crimes. "And he's supposed to be dead?"

"It appears that's not the case anymore." Captain Atom replied. "And it's clearly not an isolated incident."

"How could this be happening?" Tahu asked. "How are so many people getting resurrected like this? Especially ones who were long dead?"

"The Tidal Wave." Everyone turned to Thrawn as he spoke. "It's the most logical explanation. When our former leaders ended the Parasite, we know that they caused a variety of unintended effects. These resurrections are likely part of that."

"Great." Kiina grumbled. "They just had to leave us with their mess to clean up."

"It was either that or let the multiverse drown in Flood." Samus interjected, glaring at the blue-armored Glatorian.

"How it happened has little relevance at this time." Mata Nui spoke up before any argument could break out. "What we need to do is focus our attention on solving these problems. Especially Teridax."

Of course, it wasn't his power that they feared. Even with his new body, Teridax could theoretically be beaten by a number of individuals working for or with the Republic, and a team could certainly be assembled to take him down (though his new body would make that task much more difficult than anyone would like).

The problem was his intelligence, along with a scheming mind that could give the Gravemind a run for its money. And knowing the Makuta in question, he almost certainly had his own schemes set in motion. They couldn't even be sure if not getting the Vahi was part of his plan.

"I'm not so sure he should be our immediate focus." Ackar said, drawing a number of confused glances. "He's clearly not blind to everything going on in the multiverse, so he'll know about the criminal factions. If we take them out first, we reduce any potential pawns for him to use."

"That's not a bad idea." Nightwing agreed. "Cutting out any potential support base for him will make dealing with him easier."

"What of the First Order?" Mata Nui asked. "If what Mistress Khai said is true, this has its own set of complications. It'll be worse if Teridax seeks them out."

"Doubtful." This time it was Luke who spoke up. "If it truly is Palpatine who leads the First Order now, he'll see Makuta as a rival, not an ally."

"I hope that you are correct." If those two ever met up, if Teridax were to form an alliance with Darth Sidious... Mata Nui dreaded the thought of those two working together. One thing was clear now: the Republic could no longer afford to be so complacent.

"Have we had any changes in regards to the Shadow Collective, Banished and Dark Hunters?" Thrawn asked.

"Actually, we may have something." The head of Republic Intelligence spoke up. "We've been getting some anonymous messages from our informants..."

...

Kilo sent the signal, then wiped the console's memory of it being accessed. Nodding to Vestara, who had been busy occupying the guards while he had done what he needed, she quickly excused herself as Kilo slipped out, meeting up at their agreed upon rendezvous.

"Well?"

"The message was sent." Kilo replied. "All we have to do now is wait, and hope that the Republic gets the message."

"How can you be so sure that they will get it?" Vestara asked.

"I'm not." Kilo admitted. "I sent something that should grab their attention, but I don't know the first thing about their communication protocols."

"Great." Vestara muttered. "If Maul or Atriox find out what we're up to before the Republic gets word, we're in a lot of poodoo."

"I doubt they will." Kilo countered. "After Remnant, they seem rather preoccupied."

Of course, that was unsurprising. In the wake of the disastrous raid on Remnant, the criminal alliance had found themselves increasingly under siege, with the Republic and First Order continuing to find and dismantle their operations.

Of course, Kilo and Vestara could safely say that they had a hand in how that was going, due to their efforts at sabotaging the Shadow Collective's more militarized outposts, leaving them wide open to reprisal.

Now, the two of them were back on Omega itself, where the increased tension and security ironically made it almost easier to conduct further acts of espionage. Of course, they couldn't count on that happening forever.

"Speaking of which," Vestara spoke up. "What are they doing now?"

"Last I heard, Maul and Atriox were personally leading an assault on Galactic Alliance territory." Kilo replied. "Though they didn't say where it was happening." Vestara took a look at the intel they had, and cursed.

"I think I know where they might be headed."

...

Coruscant was on fire. A raiding fleet led by the criminal factions had done the unthinkable and managed to launch a direct assault on the capital of the galaxy. Of course, they had some help on the inside.

The Dark Hunter known as Dweller had managed to hide himself among the military forces, and was the one who had lowered the planetary shields to allow the Banished and Shadow Collective to launch their attack.

And this time, they planned for the whole galaxy to remember it.

Before Sera had been utterly consumed by the Flood, the Shadow Collective had recovered specimens of the Swarm, including a number of cocoons to create more Swarm monsters. And now those cocoons were being seeded into the city planet's underbelly.

Already, they had reports that unprepared denizens of the Coruscant underworld were being assaulted by the Swarm creatures, which would be a constant reminder when all of this was done.

But the leaders themselves were rather preoccupied with leading the attack to appreciate that. Atriox and his Banished were leading the attack on the Senate, their warships and dropships burning the surrounding city. Meanwhile, Maul was leading an assault on the former Imperial Palace.

Darth Maul had been changed by the Energized Protodermis, in both appearance and power. His horns were much more pronounced now, nearing the same length of his late Brother's after the Nightsister ceremony.

His cybernetic legs weren't gone, not fully, but they had grown and been deeply connected with his body, creating a new union of flesh and machine. His powers over the Force had also increased exponentially, to the point where he may have been capable of rivaling Sidious himself.

He demonstrated the truth of this matter during a duel with one of the Knights of Ren, who had been hiding on this world, no doubt acting as some form of intermediary for the First Order. The battle had ended in a matter of seconds, with the Knight slain the process.

Despite the savagery of it all, the attack was quick and well coordinated, ending with a many of the capital world's buildings in flames. But the crowning achievement was when the charges they set in the Imperial Palace activated, reducing the government building into a pile of burning rubble.

It had taken a long time to rebuild the Imperial Palace, especially after the Yuuzhan Vong had destroyed it. Now the former seat of Imperial power had been leveled once more, serving as a burning reminder for the populace.

By the time reinforcements had arrived to relieve Coruscant, the criminals had already fled, leaving a poisoned and burning cityscape behind.

...

Palpatine watched dispassionately as the footage of destruction was relayed to him, feeling little remorse or even anger as the damage wrought to Coruscant became clear to him.

"Most unfortunate." He turned to look at the hologram of the officer who had sent this report. "Make sure to send our aid."

"As you command, Supreme Leader." The hologram vanished, leaving Palpatine with a slight smirk on his face.

At one time, Maul's attack might've been damaging to his Empire, but with the Galactic Alliance still nominally in control of the galaxy, it wouldn't be hard to spin this attack in the First Order's favor.

That wasn't to say that there would be no retaliation, far from it. The First Order fleets had already been dispatched to hunt down the Shadow Collective and Banished forces responsible

By hoping to strike a blow against the First Order, Maul would only strengthen the galaxy's resolve, and would inevitably make his conquest of the galaxy even more complete. His rule would only be unchallenged.

 _Except it's not my rule._ The former Emperor's mood darkened again, as the memory of him being on his knees came to the forefront of his mind. He, Darth Sidious, the greatest Sith Lord in history, forced to bow to the whim of a machine. It was beyond infuriating.

The worst part was that he couldn't even do anything about it. When he had the chance, he had gone to the medics in the hope of figuring out what kind of toxin could hurt him and how he could counter it. But the droids hadn't come up with anything, they couldn't even detect a trace of Poison in his body.

And without any knowledge of how the Makuta had poisoned him, the former Emperor couldn't be sure that it wouldn't happen again. But it wouldn't matter. He just had to bide his time, and once he had an opportunity, he would destroy that worthless machine and mount its head on his wall.

The merry thoughts of vengeance in his mind were interrupted by the arrival of a pair of guests requesting to enter his throne room. With a brief confirmation to his guards, the figures of Raven Branwen and General Hux entered.

"Supreme Leader." General Hux bowed, while Raven simply crossed her arms. "The first volunteers from Remnant have arrived, as well as the first batch of Dust crystals for our use."

"Good." Palpatine clasped his hands together. "Get them integrated into our forces."

"It is already being done my lord." Hux replied confidently. "Soon, we shall have a force that will rival the Republic."

"We shall see." Palpatine changed the topic as another holoscreen appeared. "What of our emissaries to the Unified Earth Government?"

"They... haven't been well received." Hux replied, his confident expression fading. "Unrest in that region has increased dramatically, and from all appearances, a civil war is all but inevitable."

"Perhaps we should help them along." Raven suggested, but was interrupted as the Throne Room suddenly grew darker.

"You will not." A pair of large red glowing eyes appeared from the Shadows, looming over the three of them. "I have other plans for them." Raven and Hux backed away in fright, while Palpatine had to keep himself from putting up a futile show of defiance.

"As you wish." The Sith Lord could barely keep his teeth from grinding. "We shall leave them be."

The red eyes disappeared and the light returned, which did nothing to ease Sidious' anger.

...

In the factories containing the armor made by the First Order, there were few living people overseeing the process. Automation had increased production extensively, requiring minimal oversight to churn out millions upon millions of Stormtrooper suits.

There had been a brief moment of change when an executive order had made a slight modification to to the Stormtrooper helmet design, but the change itself was fairly minimal and the alteration was finished with ease.

Of course, due to the lack of any real oversight, there wasn't anyone to notice the strange snake-like creatures slithering through the rows of helmets. They were moving with no real goal in mind, save to come into direct contact with any Stormtrooper helmet they could, and showing intelligence enough to hide on the rare occasion that an organic supervisor or a maintenance droid came to inspect the area.

...

Makuta Teridax looked around his makeshift lair, one that had been made using some old and abandoned storage sections in Starkiller Base. It would serve his purposes for now, especially as his latest experiment was proceeding.

With his body now capable of this again, the Makuta began creating Kraata to spread his will. The drawback of course, was that doing this weakened him for a time, something that was unacceptable in this new multiverse.

So he looked at these organics and their cloning and reproduction methods, and with enough viruses, began to create female Kraata, which could mate with the normal Kraata and spawn more, all without putting their Makuta master out of commission for an extended period.

He still had a long way to go, however. The Kraata were a good start, but without a supply of Energized Protodermis, he had no way to create any Rahkshi. Indeed, he didn't really have much of anything right now, at least nothing substantial beyond a few weapons and pieces of equipment.

He had held onto the Assault Cannon from the Dark Trooper. Normally a Makuta would never really provide this much care into a mere weapon, but the Master of Shadows had taken a liking to it. A handheld weapon with more firepower per shot and a higher rate of fire than a Cordak Blaster was certainly worth keeping around.

He also had access to a supply of Dust that Palpatine knew nothing of, courtesy of his 'agreement' with Jacques Schnee. The material itself was rather fascinating, and he was keen to experiment on it, but these resources were paltry in the grand scheme of things.

But all that would change soon enough. The wheels of further plans were already set in motion, all he needed to do was wait. After all, he had waited 80,000 years for just the right moment to strike at Mata Nui. And he would do it again if he had to.

But he had no intention of waiting so long, not if he had anything to say about it. And so, the Makuta activated one of the control consoles in his lair, before finding exactly what he was looking for.

...

In the depths of space, a crack in reality appeared once more. The anomaly was larger than the first, and the tear was far more substantial than it had been before. It lasted slightly longer than the last time before vanishing once more.

* * *

 **Well, that was certainly ominous, wasn't it? So overall, this chapter didn't really have a whole lot going on, but after the breakneck pace of the last few chapters, I think that's a good thing.**

 **Anyway, with that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	10. Trickster

**And so we begin the next chapter. This next one will contain a bit more action this time around, and will also begin yet another big change for the story and the multiverse as a whole. With that said, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, Mass Effect or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

The holographic feed of the Coruscant raid cut out, leaving the command center in silence for a moment. The news of the criminal raid hadn't reached the Republic fast enough to stop it, and all they could do was watch the aftermath.

"This has to end." Mata Nui turned to the head of their intelligence branch. "Do we have any leads on where their forces could be?"

"We may have caught a break." The director responded. "We have received a coded message that should allow us to track Omega, at the very least."

"Are we sure we can trust them?" Ackar asked. "This could very well be a trap."

"We've checked the message thoroughly and done some preliminary reconnaissance." The Director replied. "It checks out."

"I shall prepare a fleet to respond." Thrawn interjected. "If this is true, then we cannot pass this opportunity up."

"There's one other thing." The Intelligence head said, causing a few looks of confusion.

"What is it?"

"They're apparently asking for... Thor Odinson to be part of the attack."

...

The forces of the Shadow Collective and Banished returned from their Coruscant raid triumphant, meeting up at their rendezvous point in deep space. Gathered in the darkness was a substantial fleet of Banished and Shadow Collective vessels, with Omega and the _Enduring Conviction_ dwarfing all the rest.

Inside the former capital of the Terminus Systems, Darth Maul returned to the main bridge of the station, with Atriox trailing behind him. The two then entered their private conference room where the Shadowed One and several of the Shadow Collective's major officials were waiting. The conference room door closed before Atriox spoke up.

"That was mistake."

"What are you talking about?" Maul laughed. "We brought the capital of the Galactic Alliance to its knees. I'd say that mission was a resounding success."

"And it will only cause the Republic and First Order to increase their efforts to take us down!" Atriox snapped. "All that accomplished was painting an even larger target on our heads."

"You were the one who went along with it." The Shadowed One pointed out, drawing a growl from the Banished warmaster.

"I was willing to raid the planet, not set it on fire like that!" The Brute countered, slamming a gauntleted fist on the table. "That was going too far."

"You do have a point." The Shadowed One turned his gaze to the Sith Lord. "I have been wondering if your newfound state has affected your mind."

"Are you questioning me?" Maul's eyes narrowed, sending a glare that would've chilled a lesser being. The Shadowed One was less than impressed.

"Yes, I am."

"And so am I." Atriox crossed his arms. "We are not your subordinates, Maul. Don't forget that."

"Then perhaps," Maul took a deep breath. "we should all take a step back and calm ourselves."

"I'm afraid that there is some other news to attend to." Rook Kast stepped out from the corner, drawing all eyes on her. "We have noted some strange behavior from Vestara Khai."

...

"Are you sure they got the message?" Vestara asked, scanning the area with the Force. "I'm pretty sure they're going to notice this time."

"It has been sent." Kilo responded. "With any luck, they'll be on their way. In the meantime, we just have to be patient."

"Right, patience." Vestara muttered. "That said, it might be a good idea to avoid the scene of the crime."

The two of them quietly made their way out of the communications room, with Kilo disguising himself as a Blue Suns guard. They were making their way through the building, exiting the front door only for a dozen Mandalorians to immediately land in front of them. Seconds later, half a dozen Jump Pack Brutes did the same.

Weapons were drawn as the two of them were encircled, cutting off any chance of escape. And from the shadows of an alleyway, Darth Maul walked out, followed slightly behind by Atriox.

"Hello Vestara." Maul growled. "It seems you've been keeping secrets from me."

"What are you talking about?" She replied. "I only-"

"Don't bother." Atriox snapped. "We know what you have been doing."

"We offer you a place at our side and you sabotage us at every turn." Maul gripped the Keshiri Sith in a Force Choke, leaving her gasping for air as she was lifted off the ground. "Such a disappointment. I may have even offered you a chance to become my apprentice."

"Excuse me." All eyes turned to Kilo as he spoke up. "Um, I know this is supposed to be an intimidation tactic, but you might want to consider all possible options. She's certainly more valuable to you alive."

"You're her co-conspirator?" Atriox asked, but Maul just snorted.

"If you insist." He looked at the Mandalorians. "Kill him."

The response was immediate, as blaster fire lit up the circle. But to their surprise, the energy bolts passed right through Kilo's body. The illusion vanished, and Kilo reappeared behind Maul to punch him in the back of the head.

The Sith went down, dropping Vestara in the process, before anyone could comprehend what had happened. Atriox was the quickest to react, but he was still to slow. As he raised his mace, Kilo hurled a knife into his knee, causing the Banished chieftain to stumble.

As his momentum carried him forward, Kilo wrenched the Brute's mace from his hand and hurled him at the guards, knocking several Mandalorians down. A follow up shockwave from Chainbreaker knocked the rest of them down.

"I believe that's our cue to go." Vestara didn't need to be told twice and the two traitors made their way through a dark alley just as the leaders recovered.

"Do not let them escape!" Maul shouted, as more Mandalorians took off in pursuit. Meanwhile, Atriox turned to the leader of the Shadow Collective.

"It's probable that our location has been compromised." The Brute said. "Our best option is to scatter our forces before the First Order or Republic show up."

"You wish to run?" Maul snarled. "Are you really so afraid?"

"I will do what I must for the Banished." Atriox replied. "And I'd rather be cautious than be wrong. I suggest you consider doing the same."

"Do what you will then." The Sith snapped. "My guards will not hinder you."

With a final glare between them, Atriox turned and left, leaving Maul alone in the middle of Omega.

...

Elsewhere, the search continued for Vestara and Kilo as it seemed the entire station of Omega was put on high alert. Two Eclipse troopers, one an Asari, and the other a male Salarian made their way past a throng of Zann Consortium soldiers as the search continued. Once the two soldiers were out of earshot, the Salarian spoke up.

"You know it would've been really nice to know you could do this before now." The distinctly female voice coming from the Salarian would've been off putting to anyone listening.

"You never asked." The undeniably male voice from the asari was even more off putting. "We'd better avoid attracting attention though."

Vestara was about to reply when her danger sense spiked. She Force pushed Kilo and then leapt to the side, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the knife that buried itself in her shoulder. Grimacing, Vestara tried to pull the knife free, but the handle broke off, leaving the blade stuck in her.

"I must say, I really liked the design of your people's shikkars." A female voice appeared from above them. "So I had a few made for myself." Lariska dropped down to the ground, barely making a whisper as she landed. "I am impressed. Force users have some interesting abilities to account for." Vestara hurled a bolt of Force Lightning at the Dark Hunter, who casually flipped aside to avoid it, then hurled another knife into her hand. "Still, I was hoping for more of a challenge."

"Perhaps I can assist then." Lariska turned to Kilo, who had already dropped the illusion around himself. "If you really want a challenge."

Saying nothing else, Lariska hurled multiple knives, but Kilo dodged them with ease, and retaliated by throwing a number of his own. One managed to find its mark, impacting and getting stuck in the Dark Hunter's arm. Lariska dispassionately pulled it out of her mechanical arm and flexed her fingers to ensure it was working properly, while simultaneously flipping to avoid another dagger from Kilo.

"What are you, anyway?" She casually asked, hurling yet another knife which was avoided once more. "You look human, but no species on record has shown the abilities you have."

"You won't find me on any of your records." Kilo replied. "I must say though, I am impressed."

"By my fighting skills, I assume?"

"Hardly." Kilo chuckled. "How you're attempting to stall for time and keep my attention." The odd soldier spun around and hurled yet another knife into a shadowy alleyway, which directly landed on Sentrakh's Rhotuka launcher.

Lariska tried to capitalize on his distraction by closing the gap, but Kilo turned in time to catch the Dark Hunter by the throat. But she still had a knife in hand and stabbed it in Kilo's chest... only for the blade to bounce right off his clothes and skin.

Before she could utter anything else, Kilo slammed her into the ground, leaving a small crater from the impact and knocking her out. That victory was short lived when a wall of crystalline Protodermis blocked the path forward, as the Shadowed One emerged from a side alley.

"Very impressive." The Shadowed One said. "You defeated one of my best Dark Hunters." He looked towards Vestara as she was starting to rise to her feet. "And all without help from that Sith girl."

A couple dozen soldiers began filing into the street from inside the buildings, a motley collection of mercenaries, pirates and all around scum surrounding the two traitors. Four Mandalorians also flew down from the sky as Darth Maul made his way through the crowd, his eyes settling on Kilo and Vestara.

"Vestara certainly didn't get this far without help." Maul's eyes narrowed. "So you have been the mastermind behind the most recent acts of sabotage."

"Guilty as charged." Kilo grinned in spite of everything. "I must say, it took you longer than I expected to figure it out."

"How the hell are you so calm about this?" Vestara hissed, bringing a chuckle from Kilo.

"Because Lariska wasn't the only one stalling for time."

A beam of rainbow light punched a hole through Omega itself, coming from the depths of space. Its impact point was in the center of the manufacturing district, surrounded by hundreds of soldiers.

Maul and the Shadowed One turned toward the beam in confusion, as the Sith Lord ordered his soldiers to explain what was happening. One of the Death Watch soldiers brought up a holocam image of the event, leaving everyone to see what was happening.

"Oh, you're all in trouble now." Kilo smirked at the sight.

The beam soon shut off, having carved a pattern into the ground. And standing on that pattern was a bearded man with buzzcut of blonde hair, wearing black armor, a red cape and holding an axe in his hand.

Blue fire wafted off the axe as lightning began emerging from the God of Thunder. Ignoring the weapon fire that the Shadow Collective hit him with, Thor leapt into the air before bringing Stormbreaker down, wiping out a hundred soldiers and half a dozen vehicles with a shockwave of lightning.

The wave also knocked out any security cameras in the area, leaving a feed of static as all that Maul could see. Alarms went off all throughout Omega again, at a much higher pitch and frequency than they had been a moment ago.

Even from this distance, the sound of screams, explosions and buildings collapsing could be heard, along with massive electrical arcs that lit up the red ambiance of Omega. Maul turned to Kilo and Vestara, the former of whom still had a smirk on his face.

"What have you done?"

"Called for help. Honestly, I wasn't sure he was going to show up." Kilo admitted. "Apparently they did get my message."

The Shadowed One didn't bother to speak, and instead merely fired his disintegration eye beams at the two traitors. But it passed right through them once again, this time taking out a Mandalorian in the process.

"We'd love to stay and chat, but I believe you have bigger problems right now." Kilo continued. "Enjoy fighting the God of Thunder." And with that, the illusion of the two vanished, leaving the soldiers unsettled. Elsewhere, Vestara and Loki were approaching the main battleground, with Vestara having one question in her mind.

"What did you mean by the God of Thunder?"

"Exactly what it sounded like." Kilo replied, as the armor he was wearing suddenly became more regal, complete with a green cape. "I know him quite well to say it's the truth."

They reached a clearing where Thor was just finishing off the last of a platoon with Stormbreaker, leaving dozens of maimed bodies and wrecked vehicles on the ground as the axe returned to his hand.

"Wait, if he's the God of Thunder, then what does that make you?"

"The God of Mischief." Kilo replied, just as Thor finally caught sight of the two, his jaw all but hitting the floor. "Hello brother."

"Loki?" The smile on Kilo, no, Loki's face surprised Vestara, as did the sight of the God of Thunder rushing over and grabbing his apparent brother in a crushing hug, dropping Stormbreaker in the process.

"I thought you dead." Thor said, finally allowing Loki to breathe. "... again."

"In this case, I'm pretty sure I was dead." Loki looked over his brother's cybernetic eye and new weapon. "I gather that quite a bit has happened in my absence?"

"You could say that." Thor recalled his axe to his hand. "But what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story." Loki said, just as more guards began appearing and filing out of Omega's depths. A number of Banished soldiers were present in this wave, who hadn't left with Atriox when he evacuated. "But I'm glad you got my message."

"That was you?" Thor asked, as Vestara drew her lightsaber. "And let me guess; a friend of yours?"

"If you two are done with the reunion, maybe you can focus on this fight?" Vestara held her lightsaber in a combat position, not exactly willing to trust Loki's claim about his brother. "It's three of us against an army."

"Not quite." That was all Thor said before what he meant became clear.

An interdimensional portal opened behind Thor, as Republic forces began boarding the streets of Omega, and immediately began firing on the Shadow Collective forces. Similar portals opened up all over the station, while Republic ships began appearing in the depths of space around the Shadow Collective fleet.

"I brought reinforcements."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. I originally intended for it to be a bit longer, but I decided to cut it in half and let the actual battle between the Republic and the Shadow Collective take place in the next one. Which will hopefully be out sooner rather than later.**

 **And yes, Kilo was Loki the whole time. Not that I was really subtle about it. Hell, the name 'Kilo' is an anagram for Loki, and the fake last name he had, 'Nosnido' is actually just Odinson spelled backwards.**

 **Anyway, with that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	11. Taking Omega

**Alright, and now it's time for another battle for Omega. And this case is going to be really entertaining. Hopefully it won't be as much of a mess as the battle for Remnant was. But let's dive right in, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Bionicle, the MCU or any other franchise that appears in this story.**

* * *

The battle had already begun, and the Shadow Collective were losing badly. The Banished ships had already left the rendezvous point under Atriox's order and the rather abrupt arrival of Thor in the Bifrost teleporting to Omega had kept the Shadow Collective from doing the same thing.

So when the Republic vessels followed the Bifrost trail and arrived at the deep space meeting point, the Shadow Collective were caught rather flat footed. The Republic fleet wasted no time in tearing through the mercenary vessels, while simultaneously shutting off access to all forms of FTL travel, keeping the criminals from escaping.

It took but a matter of minutes for the bulk of the Shadow Collective ships to be wiped out, leaving only a handful of smaller ships and Omega itself relatively intact. The mobile space station found itself dwarfed by the bulk of a Republic mega-dreadnought, the larger ship picking off the engines with pinpoint accuracy while boarding actions were already being commenced via teleportation.

The Republic could've easily destroyed the station, of course, killing Darth Maul and ending his reign permanently. But they needed him alive, to find out just how far his operations extended, so they could shut them all down.

To the credit of the Collective and Banished forces onboard the station, they were able to put up a rather formidable resistance, thanks in no small part due to the upgraded weapons they possessed.

But the Republic's own weapons were more much more advanced, and combined with the more powerful armor, more professional tactics, as well as the fact that a number of them had superpowers, and it was clear that Maul's criminal empire wouldn't last much longer.

...

Thor had continued his rampage through the manufacturing center of Omega, now with the aid of his brother and the turncoat Sith who was increasingly feeling like a third wheel in all of this.

She had doubted Kilo, no Loki's, words that his brother was an actual god, but watching him hurling lightning around, bringing even the most powerful tanks down with a single swipe of his strange axe, well... it was now hard not to believe.

It became clear how little the two brothers were actually taking this seriously when they were having a conversation with one another to catch up for lost time. In between deflecting blaster bolts and cutting down any stragglers, she was struggling to pay attention, barely managing to catch on to what they were saying.

Mentions of the Flood were unsurprising and common enough, but there were names and objects that sounded completely alien to her. Mentions of "Thanos" and "Infinity Stones" came up more than once, but their meanings were still a mystery to her.

"You know, it's rude to eavesdrop." Loki said, as he turned to look at Vestara. "If you want to ask, just ask."

"I'm not even sure what to say." Vestara admitted, as Thor also turned to look at her. "I don't know who or what you guys are, where you came from, or what your relationship with the Republic is. The amount of questions I have could fill a holo book."

"Then perhaps you should save it for another time." Thor suggested. "It is quite a long story anyways."

Two Gods and a Sith walked into the main factories on Omega. What might have been a joke at one point was now an utter nightmare to the guards who had remained to defend the manufacturing facility.

Truth be told, it was mostly Thor doing the heavy lifting, with him slaughtering most of the guards and soldiers while Vestara and Loki cleaned out any stragglers he missed. The lightning from the Thunder God also had the effects of frying dozens in their tracks, as well as shorting out critical systems in the assembly lines and cooking off some of the more volatile materials.

Once that was done, Thor took a quick look over their handiwork with a calm expression. He hadn't enjoyed having to kill all those people, his joy for mindless bloodlust had long since been burned out of him.

Still, the knowledge that they had disrupted the operations of these criminals had brought him some satisfaction, and the unexpected windfall of finding his brother alive in the last place he had expected had left the current leader of the Asgardians in rather high spirits. But there was still a job to do.

"You two might want to get out of here." Thor turned to Loki and Vestara, the former of whom had a smirk on his face.

"I take it you're about to bring the whole building down?"

"Yes and that's exactly why you shouldn't be here." Thor shook his head. "I lost you already, brother. I don't want to lose you again."

With that unexpected emotional response, Loki nodded and left, pulling Vestara with him.

As soon as they were out of sight, Thor hurled the electrically charged Stormbreaker through the foundry's support structures, cutting through them almost effortlessly and frying any of the droids and soldiers that were still standing.

The God of Thunder recalled his axe to him and flew out of the building roof, before landing right next to the other two. Once that was done, the foundry began collapsing in on itself, leaving the two brothers and the one Sith to overlook their handiwork.

...

In a different section of the criminal station, Krakua was fighting his way through one of the many night club-turned armories on the station, as more and more Shadow Collective guards attempted to stop him.

A wall of Sound knocked a squad of Brutes on the floor, blood coming from their ears as they fell unconscious. This allowed more Republic soldiers to advance through the area as more and more of the station fell to the Republic.

While taking down the criminal organization was currently their priority, many units had another equally important task: freeing the slaves that were forced to work in the depths of Omega.

Krakua was currently leading that particular mission, his powers making it relatively easy for him to take down the soldiers and mercenaries while causing relatively minimal collateral damage to the captives in the process.

So far, the Toa of Sonics had followed the thoughts of a number of soldiers, his Mask and their minds telling him that the bulk of the slaves would be kept in the lower parts of the station.

But as the Toa and Republic forces made their way to the locations in question, they began to find bodies in various states of mutilation, a testament to the horrible conditions they worked in as well as the cruelty of the Shadow Collective.

But it was the next scene that really horrified Krakua, as he arrived just in time to see mercenaries executing civilians, right in front of him. Furious, the Toa called up another sonic blast that drove the Blue Suns troopers to their knees.

A quick scan of their minds revealed what he both suspected and feared: with the Republic forces currently taking over Omega, the order had been given out to terminate the slaves, to at the very least deny the Republic that much.

Krakua would not allow that. He sent a message to other Republic forces informing them of what was happening and continued forward at a much more urgent speed, unleashing his Sonic power in the next room to draw the attention of the soldiers within.

His gamble worked, as it drew the mercenaries away from terminating the hostages, but it also turned their attention towards him. A barrage of weapons fire targeted him, forcing the Toa to get into cover.

A barrage of sound distorted their senses long enough for more Republic troopers to arrive, and in a matter of moments, the Shadow Collective solders had all been defeated or killed. Krakua approached one of the captives, a malnourished female Twi'lek who flinched away at his approach.

"I'm not going to hurt you." The Sonics Toa said. "You're safe now."

"You-you are here to free us?" The Twi'lek's fearful hope was enough to break hearts, and further reinforced Krakua's determination to help the slaves still captive on the station.

"Yes. We are."

...

Samus Aran stepped over the now smoking corpse of yet another Dark Hunter, her third in the last ten minutes. She kept quiet as a new marker appeared on her HUD and map, directing her to the next target to take down.

When the Republic knew they were going to take over Omega, she had been recalled to help defeat any Dark Hunter that was still on the station. It was a task she accomplished with her usual professionalism, and one that made the rest of this takeover all the easier.

However, she knew that her next target would be anything but easy.

"Control, this is Samus." She reported. "I'm on my way to the next target now."

"Copy that." Control replied as the waypoint in her HUD grew closer. "Be advised, the rest of the offensive in that area has stalled. The target has already killed dozens of our soldiers."

"Understood." She turned a corner and came face to face with Voporak. "I found him."

The temporal manipulating Dark Hunter had been busy becoming the biggest problem the Republic was facing in their efforts to take over Omega. And now she had the unlucky opportunity of finding him.

"Well, well, well. The great Samus Aran." Voporak murmured. "This will be interesting."

Even Samus didn't like her odds against this being. It had taken the Republic Supreme Commander to take him down the first time, and that hadn't been an easy task. Still, she knew one thing he was weak to.

The Dark Hunter advanced, but Samus didn't bother firing at him, already knowing just how futile it would be. Instead she launched a super missile just ahead of him, targeting a structural weakness that brought the floor down underneath him. He was quick to jump back up however, and soon the chase was on again.

She had the misfortune of being hit by Voporak's Rhotuka spinner, and only her Chozo future sight gave her the necessary clarity to keep out of his range. She kept dodging and retreating as he continued his approach, avoiding more Rhotuka spinners as she drew him away.

Soon, Samus' perspective returned to normal and the fight had been drawn in the direction of Omega's outer regions. She kept firing her weapons at Voporak, none of it hurting him, but it kept his attention on her instead of more vulnerable Republic soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Dark Hunter's frustration was evident as he continued to chase Samus, desiring to get her in range long enough for his temporal field to do its work. Samus only exacerbated that frustration when she began firing on the environment around him, further impeding his progress.

After coming across a passage of debris blocking her path, Samus morphed into her Morph ball and dropped a Power bomb to clear the way, the explosive energy also reaching and dissipating as it came into contact with Voporak again.

The chase continued until the two Hunters had reached a hallway that led towards a single blocked door. Voporak couldn't help but smirk upon seeing Samus backed into a corner, like an animal trapped in a cage.

"There's nowhere left for you run."

"Looks like it." Samus noted. "Fortunately, we're exactly where I wanted you." And with that, Samus fired a Super Missile... at the wall beside her, which Voporak realized too late, was near one of Omega's airlocks.

The vacuum pulled him out into space, while the effects of her Gravity suit kept her footing firm. Voporak had been removed from the battle of Omega completely. Samus marked his location for the Republic ships to pick up his body, then turned her attention the larger battle.

Voporak's defeat had given the Republic some much needed breathing room, and the boarding assault had sped up while Samus had kept the temporal Dark Hunter occupied. A few pockets of resistance could be seen on her map, but they would be dealt with soon enough, and the Republic still owned most Omega.

And with so many sections of the station pacified, it was time to finally head towards the true prize. The capture of Darth Maul.

...

The Sith Lord himself was holed up in Afterlife alongside the Shadowed One, as a large number of Shadow Collective forces led by Maul's Mandalorians were holding the line outside.

The two criminal leaders watched as the Republic forces continued their warpath throughout all of Omega, with Maul getting more and more furious as the hologram of the station grew increasingly dark, signifying the Republic advance.

The Shadowed One was much more collected, but even his expression darkened as the Dark Hunters still present on the station were either captured or killed. It was when Voporak was blasted into space by Samus Aran that the Shadowed One spoke again.

"This fight is over." The leader of the Dark Hunters shook his head. "Even I know when to admit defeat, and the Republic will be upon us soon enough."

"You can't leave." Maul rounded on the Shadowed One, his hand on his lightsaber hilt. "There is no way for you to escape."

"See, that's where you're wrong." Sentrakh pulled out Vanisher's spear and created a portal, before walking right into it. "I do have a way to leave."

The Shadowed One fired his disintegration beams, forcing Maul to pull his lightsaber out and deflect them, sending them through one of the control consoles around them and turning it to dust. This distraction allowed the Shadowed One to enter the rift just as Maul turned to watch.

"You're on your own." And with those words, the portal vanished, causing Maul to snarl in fury.

...

Despite the loss of the Dark Hunters, the battle continued to rage, as the Republic forces were forced to slow down in the more concentrated spots of resistance. The street that led to Afterlife and the command station was particularly brutal, with quite a number of artillery emplacements and automated defenses that worked to slow the assault.

At least until a portal appeared in the center of the Republic formation and a single figure stepped out, his armor golden and holding a silver sword in one hand and a strange shield in the other. He was wearing a rather ornate mask, which was enough to clue everyone in on his identity.

Mata Nui stood in the street and the fighting all but ground to a halt. Using the power over Magnetism and Iron, the Great Spirit ended up shorting out most of the vehicles and turrets. Then he turned his attention to restraining most of the wounded criminals before setting to work on the remaining soldiers.

Their leader's mere presence was enough to galvanize Republic forces, and the tide rapidly turned. With his elemental powers and access to the Mask of Life, the Republic assault rapidly gained ground until they reached the metaphorical heart of Omega.

The leader of the Republic breached the doors to Afterlife, sending fire and plasma through the hall and forcing the defenders to take cover. This allowed the rest of the Republic to storm in, and in less than two minutes, the station's bridge had been secured.

"Sir, there's no sign of Darth Maul." One Republic soldier reported. "Nor the Shadowed One." Mata Nui turned to one of the surviving Mandalorians, who was currently being restrained by another pair of Republic soldiers.

"Where are they?" The Mandalorian's only response was to chuckle darkly.

"Do you actually believe I would tell you?"

"You don't have to." The Great Spirit replied. "But it would've been much easier."

With that said, Mata Nui telepatically dove into the captive soldier's mind, sifting through his knowledge and memories. The Death Watch soldier tried to resist, but his mental fortitude wasn't strong enough and Mata Nui saw what had happened as clear as day.

The Shadowed One and Sentrakh had abandoned the station through Vanisher's spear, leaving Maul to take a hidden pathway to his docked escape ship. He had ordered his soldiers to stay behind and hold them off long enough for the Sith Lord to escape.

Coming back from his mental interrogation, Mata Nui turned to look at the wall where he knew there was a hidden door.

...

Maul had already fled, using the secret passage he had built into the station after his coup against Aria T'Loak. His personal Star Destroyer, the Scimitar, was still docked in the city even after all this time, and as soon as the Sith was aboard, it blasted out from the station.

The Scimitar immediately cloaked as it moved, aiming to escape in all the chaos. Unfortunately, they were still in range of the Republic's FTL jamming, and the advanced sensor arrays managed to locate the cloaked vessel.

Torsion fields and gravity beams immediately locked onto the ship and held it in place, allowing even more boarding parties to be teleported on board. All of this information was being told to Maul on the ship's bridge, who was not taking it well.

"Get us loose!" The Sith Lord all but shouted. "Fire on the Republic ships!"

"My lord, all our exterior weapons have been disabled." One officer replied. "Republic boarders have-HURK!" Maul throttled the man with the Force, his eyes narrowed.

"I have no tolerance for your excuses." The Sith Lord snapped the officer's neck, before glaring at the rest of the surrounding bridge crew. "You will FIX THIS!"

"Darth Maul." The Sith turned to the unexpected voice, finding Mata Nui walking out of a portal in the rear of the bridge. "This ends now." Security forces took aim at the Great Spirit, but it wasn't enough to do anything as Mata Nui acted.

A massive wave of ice had the entire bridge crew and security forces frozen in their tracks, alongside their Sith master. Maul was the only one who wasn't imprisoned, as Force shockwave shattered the icy prison around him, leaving the Sith Lord rather angry.

"So you are the Great Spirit Mata Nui." Maul snarled as his lightsaber and Darksaber were ignited. "I'm hardly impressed."

"It's over, Maul." Mata Nui had his own sword drawn and pointed at the Sith Lord. "Your armies are in ruins and your criminal empire is crumbling around you. Things will go a lot easier for you if you just surrender."

"How very much like the Jedi you are." And with those words, Maul gripped the Great Spirit and telekinetically slammed him against the ceiling, then the floor, before shocking the biomechanical being with Force Lightning.

To his surprise, Mata Nui almost seemed to absorb the electricity before channeling it through his sword, striking back at Maul and forcing the Sith to bring his lightsabers up and cross them in order to absorb the lightning.

Mata Nui didn't let up, as he started unleashing a variety of elemental powers against the Sith. A blast of water hurled the Zabrak against the bridge viewport, before it suddenly froze solid.

Maul shattered it with the Force, then cut through the subsequent Stone pieces that attempted to restrain his hands. A powerful Force push launched Mata Nui away, who slowed himself to a halt with a powerful wind current.

"This is pointless." Mata Nui said, even as he hurled a bolt of plasma at the Sith. "Where do you intend to run to? We know all of your hiding spots and safehouses. You can't flee from us, not anymore."

"I will simply rebuild again." Maul hurled more Force Lightning, which was blocked by a wall of Earth. Maul leapt forward as the Earth vanished, swinging his lightsaber which was barely blocked by Mata Nui's own sword. "My power is unmatched, and not even you will stand in my way!"

"Then you leave me no choice."

Mata Nui's mask took on a glow, affecting Darth Maul by his will. The energy of Life flowed through the Sith, reversing the transformation done to the Zabrak and leaving him in the weaker form he had originally. Maul gaped in horror at the change, breaking the blade lock.

"What have you done?!"

"What I had to." Mata Nui growled, as he telekinetically lifted the Sith into the air, before slamming him on the ground. The Zabrak attempted to rise again, but suddenly found his lightsabers pulled out of his hands, allowing Mata Nui to shock him with even more electricity, which finally knocked Maul unconscious. Once that was done, Mata Nui made a call to the Republic fleet.

"It's over." The Great Spirit said. "Maul has been contained."

...

Voridus and Pavium were in one of the Banished outposts, far from most of their known territory. The location in question was effectively a safehouse for their faction, with cloaking technology keeping them hidden from the multiverse at large.

Right now, they were watching what little video they could still get from Omega's feed. The news wasn't good, considering how the Republic was shutting them down as the station fell into the superpower's hands. Atriox was also present via hologram, from his own relative safety aboard the _Enduring Conviction_.

"This... is certainly a complication." Pavium admitted. "If the Shadow Collective does fall, how long before our own operations are at risk?"

"I have already begun taking steps to ensure the survival of the Banished." Atriox replied. "We have enough assets that Maul and his forces never knew about, so we can still survive even with this loss."

"And the Dark Hunters?" Voridus asked. "What is their stance in all of this?"

"I can't say for certain." Atriox shook his head. "But the Shadowed One is an opportunist. I wouldn't put it past him to consider betraying us. Fortunately, the knowledge of his current base should make him stay his hand, at least for now."

"Understood." Pavium nodded. "We can be ready to move shortly."

"What about the Forerunner data?"

"We have it." Voridus replied. "It's been decrypted and ready for our use."

"Good. Meet us at the rendezvous point, immediately." Atriox's hologram disconnected, leaving Pavium and Voridus alone in their outpost.

The two brothers wasted no time in ordering their forces to begin evacuation procedures, downloading and dismantling what they could take with them and setting demolition charges on the the things they couldn't.

But just as Voridus and Pavium made to leave, something strange happened. Absolute silence came to pass as darkness suddenly fell over the room. The last thing either brother saw was a pair of red eyes before everything turned pitch black.

...

Like the Banished, the Dark Hunters had their own camera access to the feeds on Omega, which the Shadowed One was currently watching in his private throne room in the Dark Hunter base. He watched as the Republic forces tore their way through the space station, watched as Mata Nui's mere presence inspired the soldiers to fight even harder.

He watched as the former Great Spirit personally fought the soldiers of the Shadow Collective, and was methodical in his fighting style, even if he left most of his enemies alive. This certainly wasn't the Great Spirit he had known for most of his life, of that much the Shadowed One knew.

They would have to relocate of course. Several of his Dark Hunters had been captured, quite a few of whom were well aware of their new base's location. It was a shame that Guardian was dead, he would've been very useful in that role.

Still, the loss of several of his best operatives would put a major damper on the Dark Hunter operations in the future, and the Republic would continue to hunt them down and further decrease their number.

Currently, the only other option the Shadowed One could see was to join the First Order, and the leader of the Dark Hunters loathed the thought of serving someone so similar to the Makuta (if Maul's claims about Palpatine were to be believed), but it was starting to look like he didn't have a choice.

"You're right about one thing." A voice emerged in the shadows as it suddenly grew darker, drawing the Shadowed One's eyes behind him. "You have no choice at all."

A pair of red eyes appeared in the dark as the massive figure stepped into clarity, causing the Shadowed One's eyes to widen. That form, that mask, it had been thousands of years since he had personally seen him, but the Shadowed One would certainly never forget it.

"You're dead." The Shadowed One snarled. "We all saw you die!"

"So I've been told." Makuta loomed over the Shadowed One as his own shadows spread everywhere. "You have something I want. You can hand it over willingly, or I will take it myself."

The Shadowed One said nothing. Instead Sentrakh moved forward to defend his master, but Makuta simply used his density shifting to phase Sentrakh through the floor, before dodging the Shadowed One's madness spinner.

In response, the leader of the Dark Hunters focused his disintegration eyebeams on Teridax. The beams lashed out, striking the Makuta head on... and did absolutely nothing. The Makuta laughed as the Shadowed One paused in shock, having expected his beams to have some effect on his armor.

The Shadowed One had no idea just how durable Teridax's new body was and now he would never get a chance to learn the truth. The moment of distraction allowed the Makuta to launch his Shadow Hand, which latched onto the Shadowed One and pulled him in so fast that there wasn't any time for him to even scream.

The Shadowed One was absorbed into the Makuta's mass, with Teridax quickly moving to crush his will and avoid a repeat of the Nidhiki and Krekka incident. With that done, Makuta magnetically pulled the deceased Vanisher's staff to him.

Having read the Shadowed One's mind, the Makuta activated the staff, creating a small portal in front of him. It opened into a small pocket dimension that was filled with only one thing: a pool of Energized Protodermis. Teridax closed the staff with a smirk, having acquired one further thing he needed.

With the Dark Hunters now leaderless, there was just one last thing that Teridax needed from this place. Walking over to the Terminal, the Makuta pulled the data from it and smirked. He had almost everything he required.

Now there was just one last stop he had to make. Checking the security cameras, he was pleasantly surprised to see Mata Nui present on Omega. Which meant his next task would be all the easier.

No one heard Makuta Teridax laugh as a dimensional portal enveloped him.

* * *

 **Alright, and that's the end of this chapter. The next segment will more closely follow what happens to the Banished, as well as follow Teridax as he continues his plan. And for the moment, that's all I'll say about everything.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	12. Breaking the Banished

**Ok, and now we shall begin with the next chapter. But just to recap the previous one: with the inside job from Loki and Vestara, the Republic was able to track down Omega and capture Darth Maul, while starting to systematically shut down the Shadow Collective. But this allowed Teridax to make his move, as his plan starts to take shape.**

 **Anyway, this chapter will follow how the Republic takes on the Banished, as well the next phases of Makuta's plan. How and why? You'll just have to read on to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

"Anything else we should be aware of?"

"Maul took a dip in that 'Energized Protodermis'." Vestara explained. "It increased his power, but it also seemed to effect his mind."

"That explains a lot." Mata Nui noted. "He seemed rather... unhinged when I fought him, even more than usual."

"And that's all we know for certain." Loki finished. "The Banished and the Shadowed One left before you could get there."

They were currently standing on the Republic mega-dreadnought that was holding position near the ruins of Omega. Activity throughout the ship and the accompanying fleet was rather hurried, as slaves were liberated, ships were salvaged and the surviving criminals were detained, Darth Maul among them.

The God of Mischief and the traitorous Keshiri Sith were standing in front of holograms of the Republic High Command, both of whom were under the watchful eye of heavily armed guards. Mata Nui and Samus were the only members of High Command who were actually present, alongside Thor who refused to leave his brother.

Due to their previous histories, Loki and Vestara were nominally prisoners of the Republic, especially considering all the crimes they had committed. The Jedi and SHIELD were particularly eager to have them face punishment, but recent events made that a touchy subject.

On one hand, it was rather clear that the Republic wouldn't have managed to get so far and capture Darth Maul without their help, but on the other hand, the amount of crimes they had committed weren't so easy to forgive.

"For whatever it's worth," Loki interjected. "I am sorry for the pain I've caused to the people of Earth. For New York, the Chitauri, everything."

"Some nice words don't erase the past." Coulson crossed his arms.

"So what do you intend to do?" Thor asked, stepping in front of his brother and Vestara. "Lock them in a cell and throw away the key? Without their help, you would've never found the Shadow Collective."

"His actions don't erase his previous history." Nick Fury said. "He killed people, innocent people."

"So have I." Axonn stepped forward. "So have a lot of people in the Order of Mata Nui and the Republic in general. And yet the Order offered me a chance to do good, to leave my worst aspects behind and put my skills to better use."

"The Jedi... have experience with that as well." Luke Skywalker admitted. "It wouldn't be the first time we've welcomed former darksiders into our ranks." His voice turned slightly bitter. "Though in Vestara's case, it wouldn't be the first chance we've offered her."

"Master Skywalker." Vestara spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes to her. "If I could take it all back, I would. Everything from Abeloth, to the First Order..." Luke looked unconvinced, but the Great Spirit spoke up.

"If they actually want to be redeemed, then you should let them." Mata Nui said. "This is no longer a time to be holding onto old grudges. Especially not with the threats we have on the horizon."

Once the explanations were done, the discussion was tabled as Loki and Vestara were led out, their fate to be decided later. Thor followed, leaving the Republic leaders to discuss how the aftermath of this operation and how they were going to proceed next.

"Thanks to the data we recovered from Omega, we have everything we need." Grand Admiral Thrawn spoke up. "All of the Shadow Collective's bases and operations are being dismantled as we speak."

"Furthermore, we recaptured a number of Dark Hunters from the raid." Helryx said. "They haven't told us where the Shadowed One might be, but we'll find them soon enough."

"And Voporak?"

"We found no trace of his body." The Admiral said, frowning as he looked over the report. "He just seemed to vanish from all sensors."

"Keep searching the area." Mata Nui said. "We won't presume him dead until we've recovered him." He then walked over to another holoprojector which showed a map of the multiverse and several marked locations. "In the meantime, we need to take care of the Banished while we still have the initiative."

And so they began planning. With Thrawn's own recommended suggestion being to send advance stealth operatives ahead before the fleet launched a lightning fast raid against all known Banished locations, they began considering all the necessary ways to do that. But it was Samus' suggestion that immediately turned heads.

"I believe it may be time to bring out the big gun." Mata Nui looked at Samus in surprise.

"For the Banished?" He asked. "That seems rather excessive."

"I have to agree with Mata Nui." Thrawn interjected. "While I've never been a proponent of superweapons like that, the First Order is still out there. It may be our best weapon to use against them." Before Mata Nui could protest that it wasn't technically a superweapon, someone else spoke up.

"Not to mention what might happen if Makuta learns about it." Ackar continued. "It's not hard to imagine what he would do."

"He won't be able to take it." Mata Nui said. "The Supreme Commander made sure of that." He shook his head. "Nevertheless, the situation is not at the point where using it would be considered necessary."

"I'm not so sure." Tahu spoke up. "If used correctly, it may cause the Banished to surrender with minimal bloodshed. Isn't that what we want?"

"It... could work." Thrawn admitted. "From what I've seen of the Banished architecture, such a display of strength could at the very least weaken their resolve. Of course, it could also strengthen it. Nevertheless, it's not the most efficient allocation of resources, especially when we still have the First Order and Makuta to worry about."

"Wouldn't that make it more beneficial?" Kiina asked. "To defeat the Banished faster, which would let us focus on the bigger threats?"

"You all make very good points." Mata Nui sighed, before turning to Thrawn's hologram. "Admiral, I want your scouts to locate some of the more easily isolated Banished bases or fleets. We can gauge their reactions and determine whether or not they would fall more quickly upon seeing it."

"As you wish." Thrawn nodded as Mata Nui turned to the rest.

"In the meantime, everyone else knows what to do. So let's get to work." Taking the dismissal in stride, the other holograms began shutting off, with Thrawn's being the last to go.

Once all the holograms were off, Mata Nui turned to Samus, the only other person in the room. She dismissed her armor, leaving her clad in her Zero Suit as the two of them conversed about the latter's latest mission.

"You're surprised I called you back for this?" Mata Nui asked, causing Samus to shake her head.

"I understand why you did." The ex-Bounty Hunter replied. "It's why I offered my suggestion."

"It's a fairly reasonable one." The Great Spirit admitted. "Though I really hope it doesn't prove necessary." He shook his head. "In the meantime, there is your report."

For the siege of Omega, they had called Samus back from her current long term mission. The mission in question: Find Dark Samus and Salem. Despite their seeming deaths in the Battle of Remnant, none of the Republic leaders really believed they were gone.

Combine that with the fact that it was clear both of them had served the Flood prior to the Tidal Wave, and the amount of damage they could cause if left unchecked was definitely alarming.

Of course, without actual evidence of their survival, the Republic couldn't justify sending a large task force when they still needed most of their resources for more critical tasks. To that end, Samus had volunteered to hunt them down, and her vast record of similar missions compelled Mata Nui to agree.

"Have you found any sign of them yet?"

"Nothing so far." Samus shook her head. "But I know Dark Samus. Even at her weakest, she's more than strong enough come back from that. And if what Ozma says is true, then so is Salem."

"I wish it weren't necessary." Mata Nui sighed. "Without the Flood, those two are not nearly the threat they once were."

"But they're still dangerous." Samus continued. "And with Teridax running around, we can't afford any loose ends."

"I just wish we knew where he is." The Great Spirit looked away with a sigh. "You've seen the records, you know just how dangerous he is. And if he's back now... I just don't want to fail my people again."

"You won't." Samus put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll find him and stop him. I know you will."

"Were it so easy."

...

Despite being a major source of their increased power, the Banished shipyards that had been reactivated thanks to Darth Maul's intel reports was actually fairly isolated from the more important Banished holdings.

And with the Republic currently hunting them down, Atriox had dispatched a large force to both defend the shipyards, as well salvage whatever they could and withdraw, as they knew that they would inevitably have to.

None of the Shipmasters in the fleet had any delusions that they could hold off a determined Republic assault, even with their new upgrades. But they could still scatter and survive, as they always had.

After all, they had survived the Covenant, the Created, the Great Flood War, and the Tidal Wave. They could survive this.

Of course, the Brute shipmasters were more than ready for battle when they detected interdimensional readings, but Sangheili and Jiralhanae alike were confused and alarmed when not only was there only a single portal, but said portal was the same diameter as an Earth-sized planet.

But it was what came out that had a number of jaws hitting the floor. All their ships were absolutely minuscule when compared to the monstrous machine, and the readings emanating from the Republic structure weren't helping.

The Fleetmaster attempted to rally and ordered everyone to attack, but an energy pulse suddenly disabled all the vessels as they became helpless to the sudden alterations in gravity, undoubtedly caused by the giant structure.

"Attention all Banished forces." Mata Nui's voice emerged over the intercom of every single ship. "You are being given exactly one chance to surrender. Do not resist any boarding parties and you will live and be held as prisoners of war."

...

"We've lost all contact with the shipyards."

That was most certainly not news that Atriox wanted to hear, but then again, there had been very little good news ever since the Shadow Collective had been ambushed by the Republic. It seemed that despite their best efforts, the superpower had still managed to track them down, and they were being rather thorough.

"Most of our other fleets have been wiped out." Let 'Volir continued. "Republic forces have been making their way through our territory, and many of our bases have fallen silent."

"Recover what you can and then retreat." Atriox ordered. "Head to our fall back points." The hologram of the Fleetmaster vanished, while the Banished warmaster turned to the comms officer. "Where are Voridus and Pavium?"

"We've had no contact with them since their last transmission." The comms officer replied. "It's possible that they've been captured or killed."

Atriox muttered a curse and stalked away. Already, things were going horribly as it was. Earlier, the _Intention's Eye_ had abruptly abandoned the fleet, with Laccabeus no doubt intending to go it alone with his loyal crew once again.

But now with those two missing, any chance of starting over using whatever they Forerunner data they had was beginning to look like a pipe dream. They still had their back up plans, and still had whatever upgrades they had gained from Energized Protodermis, but with the Republic gunning for them, Atriox wasn't sure that even that would be enough.

"Atriox!"

That one word was all the Banished leader got as a warning before he was sent sprawling over the rocky ground, coming to a halt at the edge of the Plateau. Shaking out of his daze, Atriox was annoyed and alarmed to see a red and gold-armored biomechanical being in the middle of the camp, wielding a flaming sword and taking on a dozen of his Chosen warriors and his Hunter guards.

Energy beams and projectiles bounced off a circular shield around him before the attacker retaliated. Boiling hot flames melted armor and weapons, while the soldiers found themselves imprisoned by either fiery chains, stasis fields or bonds made out of their own armor. Furious, Atriox rose to his feet and grabbed Chainbreaker, using it to hurl a Ghost at the assailant.

Tahu noticed this and simply cleaved the Ghost in two with his flaming sword. Undaunted, Atriox then threw an empty Wraith at the Toa, causing him to use his own gravity powers to deflect it.

This allowed Atriox to close the gap and he brought Chainbreaker down on Tahu, who's Hau activated and created a circular crater in the ground. The shield dropped and Atriox brought Chainbreaker down for the finishing blow, but it was intercepted by Tahu's fire sword.

"I have not come so far," Atriox pushed Chainbreaker closer to Tahu, who was struggling against the strength and gravity, "been through hell, only to lose now!"

"Yes, you have." Abruptly, Tahu's eyes glowed and heat vision lanced out, striking Chainbreaker, heating it up and melting it to slag in conjunction with Tahu's own fire powers.

Atriox dropped the scalding metal with a yelp, and found himself kicked back by the Toa of Fire. Before he had a chance to attack again, the Jiralhanae was imprisoned in a Stasis field, just as more Republic soldiers and dropships began arriving and surrounding the camp.

"We have the target." Tahu said, turning to the nearest Republic commander. "We have Atriox."

...

The Banished data had led them to the Dark Hunter base on Mindoir, and the Republic had wasted no time in launching an assault, with the best members of the Order of Mata Nui spearheading the efforts.

Toa Helryx herself had chosen to come along, and between her leadership and the Order's warriors, many of the Dark Hunters were either subdued or killed brutally and efficiently. But despite attacking his base, they had yet to locate the Shadowed One.

At first, it was assumed that the leader of the Dark Hunters managed to escape again, which was certainly not something the Republic was hoping for, but then Helryx discovered Sentrakh, who had been phased through the command center's floor and was trying to break free.

The first Toa was quick to knock the Dark Hunter out, then looked around, confused. His loyal bodyguard was still here, yet there was no sign of the Shadowed One. Which in itself was a major oddity, especially if the leader was actually running, yet didn't take him most loyal bodyguard with him.

And obviously, the fact that he was phased into the floor was a clear sign that something was off.

Of course, there was one way she could get answers: walking over to Sentrakh, and putting her hand on his head, Helryx triggered her mask power. The Mask of Psychometry showed her her quarry, who had been watching video feeds from Omega. But that was when an unexpected figure appeared, to both her and the Shadowed One alike.

She watched as the events played out, as she learned just what grisly fate had befallen the Shadowed One. Helryx cut off the power of her mask and stepped away from Sentrakh, scowling just as Trinuma entered the command center.

"Is everything alright?"

"Teridax was here." She said. "He killed the Shadowed One and took Vanisher's spear." She shook her head in frustration. "Contact Mata Nui immediately."

...

With Mata Nui away, Spherus Magna was relatively unprotected. That suited Makuta Teridax just fine, as he teleported to the planet's location. Getting to the planet's surface without being detected was a little more difficult, but hardly impossible, and soon the Makuta had made it onto the Republic's capital world.

Normally, this wouldn't work: at its height, the Republic defenses would make even portaling to the planet without authorization rather difficult, and he certainly would've been detected and intercepted by now.

But the damage wrought by the Tidal Wave had been extensive, and the Republic still hadn't fixed it all yet. Combine that with the fact that their precious Supreme Commander was no longer here, and the fact that Teridax's new body had been modified with increased stealth in mind, and the Makuta became the first hostile entity to step foot on Spherus Magna in a long time.

It didn't take much to make Teridax disgusted with this place. It was what many would undoubtedly call a paradise, even after the destruction wrought by the Tidal Wave. It made him wish that he had managed to destroy Bara Magna when he had the chance.

 _I suppose I'll have the chance again soon enough._

Right now though, he had an objective in mind. Shapeshifting into a less conspicuous form, he began searching for what he was looking for. It took him longer than he would've liked, but eventually Teridax was in sight of his target: the Republic Archives, specifically the branch containing some of their older data.

It wasn't as heavily guarded as some of the newer facilities, but it was _still_ heavily guarded. Grudgingly, Teridax couldn't deny that he was impressed: the amount of defenses here would put any First Order installation to shame.

It wasn't likely that the defenses could stand up to him of course, but unlike that brute Icarax, Teridax had no intention of being that overt. While Mata Nui and Samus may have been off-planet, the Makuta still couldn't be sure who was here.

Fortunately, Teridax already had a plan in place, one that had simply required a brief stop into the less settled regions of Spherus Magna. The guards were surprised and quickly became occupied with what happened next: Rahkshi and Rahi suddenly started attacking Republic forces, causing a disruption in the guard routine.

"All units to the front!" One soldier called. "We have incoming!"

Dozens of soldiers began emerging from hatches leading into the Archives. Just as one group cleared the hatch, Teridax teleported in and shut the door behind him. Shapeshifting into a random Republic soldier, the Makuta made his way down into the bunker, only pausing when a holo terminal lit up.

"Soldier, what do you think you're doing?" The purple hologram of a gruff Mon Calamari appeared in front of the Makuta. "Get back up there and fight!"

In response, Teridax jammed his fingers into the hologram projector, which flickered and died as the the message was transmitted. With a combination of his body's enhancements and what the Forerunner data had contained, the AI had now been shut down.

And with no other alarms that could be detected, the Makuta made his way into the actual Archives, where data stacks upon data stacks could be found, lining the walls of the room. And with no guards, Teridax was free to peruse it at his leisure.

And so he did.

The information stored here answered a number of inquiries, though not in the way he had wanted. From the data, it appeared that the Flood had indeed drained all of those 'Infinity Stones' prior to the Tidal Wave. Furthermore, according to the report, a number of other really powerful artifacts had been taken and drained by the Flood, leaving them all as powerless trinkets.

 _Unfortunate._

Still, the Republic data had some uses, especially their archives. While all the main military data was heavily classified, there were were still old records he could use. And it didn't take long to find what he was looking for.

He downloaded what he needed, making sure to leave no trace as to what it was he was after. Once that was done, Teridax turned to leave, but was suddenly hurled across the room by a blast of Shadow.

"I knew you would come here." Miserix said, Shadow wreathing his body. "All this knowledge, there was no way you could resist, could you?"

"Let me guess, the Rahkshi tipped you off." Teridax pushed himself to his feet. "I suppose that made it obvious."

"Only to me." Miserix's eyes glowed as he clenched his fist. "Now I get to kill you myself."

A Shadow Hand emerged from the dragon chest, but Teridax was quick to dodge it. Instead, the hand latched onto a data tower, which was then pulled to Miserix who shattered it with a single punch.

"Then let's end this, once and for all." And with that, the two Makuta attacked.

...

"I can assure you, Teridax was on Mindoir."

"We need to establish his trail, quickly. If we hurry, we can-"

"Sir, you need to see this."

"... Oh no."

"What is it?"

"He's on Spherus Magna."

...

Their battle was all but wrecking the archives, as energy blasts, explosions, shifting gravity and magnetism destroyed the room around them. Miserix fought relentlessly with all he had, and under any other circumstances, his onslaught would've torn the offending Makuta apart.

Teridax's new form however, was all but indestructible, and could certainly withstand the barrage of power Miserix could throw at him. His fellow Makuta couldn't really say the same, however. It all came to a head when Teridax managed to magnetically warp and tear a hole in Miserix's armor, causing Antidermis to start leaking out.

Capitalizing on the open wound, Teridax didn't let up and immediately grabbed the hole in his armor and pumped Plasma into it, frying the Antidermis leaking out. Miserix thrashed and tried to escape, but his rival held on and continued to pump the burning energy through his body.

His fellow Makuta's scream was long and loud as Teridax burned his essence out, then was abruptly cut off as the empty shell collapsed to the floor.

Miserix was dead.

Some might have felt some sort of guilt, empathy or pain at the loss of a former comrade, or the potentially crushing realization that they were the last of their own species. Teridax felt nothing other than the satisfaction of knowing that one of the few who could evenly challenge him was dead.

As much as he would've liked to bask in his enemy's death, Teridax knew that he didn't have much longer before more Republic reinforcements arrived. Activating his dimensional portal, he teleported away just as troops teleported in.

...

Less than an hour later, Mata Nui was standing in the middle of the ruined building, all the carefully constructed machines and data stacks were no longer recognizable, and much of the data had been lost.

The mood had been rather frosty for everyone involved.

Their victory over the Shadow Collective and Banished, as well as the recapture of most of the surviving Dark Hunters, had been sullied by the revelation that Teridax had used the opportunity to sneak onto Spherus Magna, breaching one of their own archive facilities.

The former Brotherhood leader had taken whatever information he was after and then wrecked the place, a side effect of the battle between two Makuta. And after killing Miserix, Teridax had vanished once more, too quickly for the rest of the Republic to respond.

Mata Nui looked over the shell that had once contained Miserix, his body in ruins and his Antidermis destroyed. He didn't need any medics to tell what he already knew: He was beyond resurrecting, even with the Mask of Life.

"Do we have any idea as to what data he took?" There would be time to mourn later. Right now, Mata Nui needed to focus on the facts. "Any clue as to what Teridax wanted?"

"We have nothing." The lead technician shook his head, frustration evident in his voice. "He shut down the AI overseeing these archives, and apparently disabled the backup security systems. We can recover the data, but we won't know what it is he was looking for."

"Understood." Mata Nui sighed, pulling out his sword and opening a dimensional gate with it. "Keep me informed." The Great Spirit walked through the portal, which vanished seconds later.

...

Teridax was pleased, which was more than could be said for the Republic. The data he had taken from the archives would serve him well, but right now, it was the data that he had acquired from Voridus and Pavium that was really proving its worth.

The data he had taken from those idiot Brutes had led to a number of other Forerunner facilities, almost all of them defunct after the Tidal Wave. However, there was one facility that was still active, a seemingly innocuous bunker on a distant world, that collected water from deep underground.

But it was what was hidden in that bunker that drew Teridax's attention, and after some careful searching, he had found an interdimensional portal that was carefully hidden in such a way that would be difficult to find for even the Flood.

After entering the rift, he found himself on a small platform orbiting a Forerunner world. There were natural features that could be seen from the surface, but there was also a rather large portion that was clearly covered in Forerunner structures.

This place didn't just belong to the Forerunners however: careful study of the Glyphs he had uncovered confirmed that this place was one of the few that the Ancients had created together, before their... disappearance.

The facility was one of the few that was hidden away from the multiverse at large. It was clear that the Ancient faction desired to keep knowledge of this place as far away from the Flood as possible.

As Makuta arrived, it quickly became clear that they hadn't been completely successful. The facility bore many signs of damage, and black scars could be seen across the planet surface.

He teleported onto the surface of the planet, right in the heart of the facility. Seconds later, dozens of Sentinels flew towards him, with more emerging from wall mounted launchers. Teridax made no move to attack, instead calling out among them.

"I believe it's common courtesy to greet your guests." The Makuta shouted, channeling a light power scream as he said it. Seconds later, there was a flash of light and a red-eyed Monitor appeared in front of the Sentinels.

"You are trespassing on a classified facility." The Forerunner construct got straight to the point. "You are to leave immediately or you will be terminated."

"I don't think so." And with that, Makuta transmitted the code with naught but a thought. It was a code that the Republic had found allowed them to turn the Forerunner constructs in Ancient facilities non-hostile, which Teridax was making use of right now.

"Code accepted." The Monitor remained, but the Sentinels withdrew and teleported away. "Greetings. What is it you require?"

"I have some plans for you to build." Teridax held the plans out, projecting a hologram from his hand and allowing the Monitor to scan them in.

"A curious design." It said. "It would require some modification, or the resources in question. My makers never had access to any of these things. And it will take some time to construct."

"How long?"

"Difficult to say." The Monitor replied. "I shall begin construction immediately, but it may very well take years to create."

Teridax said nothing as the Monitor used the slipspace grid to teleport himself away. Looking around, he allowed himself to smirk. At last he had something more than just the First Order, something he could use to bring the multiverse under his thrall.

He wasn't nearly as ready yet, of course; even if the Monitor was successful, the creation would still require upgrades. Many upgrades. Fortunately, he knew where to find them. And once his task was complete, the Republic would be brought to its knees, and Mata Nui would be ground to dust beneath his heel.

His victory would begin today.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. So with the Banished and Shadow Collective out of the way, the story will have a lot more focus on Makuta and his plans. And if you're disappointed that the First Order hasn't had much time to shine in the last few chapters, rest assured that will change in the next one.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	13. Construction Ahead

**Alright, it's time to begin the next chapter, which follows quite some time after the events of the previous one (a few months to a year, to be (im)precise). I won't say much else though, and instead just jump straight in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Bionicle or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

In the hidden Ancient facility, a creation was slowly beginning to take shape. Sentinels worked efficiently as they crafted Makuta's project, with a number of more critical segments already complete.

Teridax has already taken up residence in the project, working on what he could as he directed the Installation's efforts. His lair had already been constructed, a chamber cloaked in shadow, just as the Makuta preferred. Whatever light permeated the gloom was sickly, and served to hide his experiments.

He was working on one of them right now when the Monitor teleported in. The Rahi soon proved to be a failure when the overload of fire Dust in its system caused it to incinerate itself, leaving Teridax to start from scratch. The Monitor hummed as he approached, not remotely intimidated by his new Master's love of Shadow.

"Report."

"Wonderful news!" The Monitor exclaimed. "Construction of the basic framework will be completed within the next three months."

"Excellent." Teridax turned away from his work to fully face the Monitor. "Then it's time to begin collecting the other necessary components."

"Are you sure that is wise?" The Forerunner Construct questioned. "From all indications, many of those substances are fairly volatile. This 'Dust' alone is proof of that fact. There is no guarantee they will work in concert-" A burst of magnetism and gravity had the Monitor in Teridax's hand.

"You will do as I have instructed." The Makuta stared into the Monitor's red eye as he held the AI in his clutches. "Am I understood?"

"Of course, master." The Monitor replied, causing Teridax to release him.

"Good." Teridax turned deeper into the lair, where yet another project was already at work. "I shall retrieve what we need in due time."

"And what of your other project?" The Monitor flew beside Teridax, as the Master of Shadows gazed into a pit in the floor.

"See for yourself."

Inside the pit was the pool of Energized Protodermis, which was being fed through other sections of the installation. But the current access point was being monitored and used by Sentinels, who were ferrying Kraata in and out of the substance.

The resulting armor was then implanted in niches throughout the pit, where even more Kraata entered them. The resulting Rahkshi were then teleported into staging areas where they would await their master's command.

"Such fascinating creatures." The Ancilla turned to the Makuta. "Rather primitive though."

"They will serve my will." Teridax turned away. "That is all that matters. Now, is there anything else that requires my attention?"

There was nothing else, causing Teridax to order the Monitor to leave. As soon as the Forerunner machine was gone, Makuta turned his attention back to his control center. He had already found a suitable test for his Rahkshi in the multiverse, a mission they had performed admirably in.

Thanks to their efforts, the First Order had managed to gain a foothold in UNSC territory, while the Republic was scrambling to do the same. And with his most powerful enemies currently floundering around without a clue, the Makuta was free to act in the way he needed.

Before he did, however, the Makuta still had some experiments he wanted to work on. Despite his hand in his brother Makuta's demise, Teridax found himself slightly missing Mutran, if for no other reason than the Makuta in question would take great joy in what was being brought into existence and free up his own time.

Dust infused Rahi, what an excellent combination.

...

The collapse of the Shadow Collective, Banished and the Dark Hunters was the only good thing to have happened in recent months, and the events that happened afterward threatened to overshadow those Republic victories.

Teridax's attack on Spherus Magna itself created major changes in security protocols, with the military and intelligence agencies being rather alarmed at just how easily one of their biggest threats had breached their capital.

But it was what happened a month later that drew everyone's attention: the tension that had been brewing throughout the territory of the UNSC finally erupted, and the First Order was quick to take advantage of the chaos.

No one in the UNSC was sure what caused the spark to ignite. Some claimed to have seen strange creatures wielding unusual staffs milling around government buildings and rioting areas, but those reports were lost when everything went to hell.

Truth be told, that was exactly what they had seen. To the untrained eye, the spiny creatures with strange slug-like beings in their heads might have been mistaken for some unknown form of Lekgolo gestalt, but to members of the Republic, they knew exactly what they were:

Rahkshi, specifically Anger Rahkshi. They had affected rioters, politicians and military leaders, driving calm and reasonable people into such a blind fury that would all but end up collapsing the UEG.

The First Order's unusually fast reaction was certainly suspicious, but Republic intelligence could find no indication that they had been acting with Teridax. In fact, it was almost certain that they had been watching the UNSC for some time, and managed to capitalize on a critical moment.

Naturally, this begged the question:

"Why would Makuta do this?" Black Canary asked. "What purpose would it serve?"

"To further distract us." Ackar scowled. "To keep our attention away from tracking him."

"But to what actual end?" Kiina said. "We know enough to know that he doesn't just cause chaos for the sheer fun of it. He must have some plan in mind."

"That's the billion dollar question, isn't it?" Coulson continued. "What is he trying to accomplish?"

"That, we still don't know." Mata Nui sighed. "The damage to the Archives have been repaired, but we can't be sure as to what he actually took from them."

"And without knowing what his plan is," Thrawn continued. "it makes finding him all the more difficult."

"As much as I understand why we're concerned with Teridax." Luke Skywalker interjected. "He's clearly not the only one we need to worry about right now." He pressed a button off-screen and a map of his home galaxy appeared. "The First Order's influence is spreading rapidly, and I think it's fairly safe to assume that Palpatine is indeed leading them."

"Unfortunately, we can't really act openly at the moment." Thrawn replied. "We've increased production of Sentinels and other forces, but an open war against the First Order is not something we can afford."

"We also have to consider the possibility of traitors." Master Kyp Durron spoke up, as the entire Jedi Council was attending this meeting via hologram. "After all, Admiral, were you not once loyal to the Emperor all those years ago?"

"Master Durron, that was out of line!" Black Canary rounded on the Jedi, but Thrawn held up a placating hand.

"It's quite alright, Miss Lance. It is a fair concern." Thrawn turned to look fully towards the Council. "My loyalty, was to the Empire as a whole. At the time, I believed that were the best hope for the galaxy's survival, a hope that I realize now, was in error. But I was never truly loyal to the Emperor, and I certainly don't think he's a good man now."

"I trust Grand Admiral Thrawn with my life." Mata Nui interrupted, a touch of anger tinging his voice. "This is not a time to be throwing around baseless accusations against one another or bringing up past crimes, Master Durron."

A sharp glare in Kyp Durron's direction had the Jedi Master looking away in shame, leaving the room in silence for a moment. Mata Nui then turned to Helryx, who had been mostly silent throughout the meeting.

"Toa Helryx, do we have any new information on the First Order?"

"We know quite a bit, though not as much as we would hope." The Toa of Water said. "All we know for certain is that their military forces are constantly expanding, as well as designing new weapons and vehicles, and bringing in Huntsmen and Huntresses from Remnant."

"Do you think they'll actually try to use them against us?"

"It's not a matter of whether he will, it's a matter of when." Luke replied. "Palpatine wants an unchallenged rule, and I doubt he'll be satisfied with one galaxy when he has an entire multiverse that he could conquer. The Republic will be on his target list, and he'll want us all brought to heel or destroyed."

"We all knew this peace wouldn't last." Thrawn agreed. "We need to keep weakening them. As much as we can."

...

Boras II was home to a stunt course used to test a variety of ground vehicles. Initially used mainly in the galaxy of the Force, it became a popular spot for the IDA vehicle testing in general, due to the variety of unique environments on the planet.

On occasion, Commander Shepard would come here to take the Hammerhead or a variety of other vehicles out for a joyride. None of the Normandy crew ever joined him, and even most of the other vehicles cleared out upon learning he was there.

Now, the whole planet had been conquered by the First Order, who now used the course to test their own vehicles and prototypes. And that was what they were doing today, with their latest prototype hover tank.

Based on the concept of the IFT-T back in the Galactic Civil War, this latest tank was far faster and capable of accurately targeting and destroying enemy structures and positions while weaving through obstacles at a hundred kilometers an hour.

Furthermore, this was the first official test with Dust, and the elemental substance, combined with the help of technicians from Atlas, provided a variety of new avenues for combat potential.

For a planet that had gone for so long without spaceflight capabilities, many First Order technicians still had to admit that what they had was rather impressive. One could only imagine just how advanced they could've been if Dust had worked in space earlier.

The First Order technicians overseeing the test felt fairly confident that it was going well: everything read green across the board, the tank was continuing the test with flying colors. Then all of a sudden, the prototype exploded, the fireball lighting up the stunt course.

The technicians never had time to call it in, as they were abruptly struck down by an exploding boomerang. Hydraxon immediately cut down the Stormtroopers that tried to stop him, then made his escape from the testing course.

Far away, an invisible being made it out of the factory creating those tanks just before it also exploded, taking all the components and data with it. Knowing that any First Order forces nearby would be hunting for him, Jerbraz also began making his way to the rendezvous point, linking up with Hydraxon along the way.

The two of them made it to the waiting dropship, which started rocketing into the sky and disappeared into an interdimensional rift soon after. Unbeknownst to the the two Order agents, a Sand-yellow metallic Rahkshi appeared from its chameleon hiding spot and watched as the ship left.

...

Makuta Teridax teleported throughout the facility, observing as his experiments and work began to bear fruit. With his army of Rahkshi steadily growing, the Makuta had briefly sidelined his creation of new Rahi to bring back some old ones: and now, his creation of new Visorak were slowly but surely swelling his forces.

The First Order had its uses, of course, but the Makuta felt much better knowing that he had an army that would be unquestioningly loyal to him, especially when the next phase of his plans could ideally be done without the First Order's help.

Now he came to the final part of his lair: the prison section. Normally, the Makuta had never bothered all that much with creating an actual prison in his lairs, as he rarely held people captive long enough to justify a dedicated containment facility.

Indeed, right now the rather spacious wing of stasis pods only had a few occupants at the moment (two he had captured personally and several his Rahkshi had caught in the UNSC raid), which only further reinforced the lack of necessity this whole section had. But the Monitor had suggested it, and upon further reflection, Teridax had reconsidered, especially when he evaluated his situation.

While he had never technically needed his fellow Makuta, they certainly freed up a lot of his own time for scheming. And while Rahkshi and Visorak would be loyal, the Makuta couldn't deny that they weren't the most intelligent and free-thinking forces that he could use.

He would require agents of his own, and while he certainly had the First Order, the Makuta wasn't keen on letting the Republic know just how deep his influence spread with them quite yet.

He already had a semi-independent one in the form of Red Skull, who was currently proving his worth on Earth-199999, but he was still only one, and not the most willing one at that. He needed new allies, at least until his work was complete. After that... well, it would depend on them.

 _Of course, I might as well start recruiting now._ With a wave of his hand, the two nearest Stasis pods opened and two Jiralhanae fell to the floor, coughing as they recovered from the effects of their suspended animation, as well as the 'battle' that had put them there.

"Voridus, Pavium." The Makuta greeted. "Welcome."

...

Once more, Darth Sidious looked through the holographic data as the First Order spread its influence even further. The Shadow Collective, Banished and Dark Hunters had apparently been taken out by the Republic, and while the Sith Lord would've preferred to bring them down himself, their absence could only benefit his growing regime.

And just when things seemed like they couldn't get any better, the UNSC had all but collapsed into a civil war, letting the First Order move in and restore some semblance of order, but more importantly, giving them access to important bases and technical data to use before the Republic could get their hands on it.

There were still some setbacks of course: some of the experimental weapons and vehicles being developed with Dust and Remnant's support had been sabotaged and destroyed, and several bases and isolated ships had abruptly disappeared or had been wiped off the map, but in the grand scheme of things, these setbacks were all but minor.

The former Emperor should've been pleased. He had everything he wanted and more: power, control over not only the galaxy, but other regions of the multiverse, his own Dark Jedi at his beck and call. The Republic was hesitant to challenge them openly, and best of all, the Jedi were toothless to actually fight him.

But despite this, Darth Sidious wasn't happy. All these victories came with the looming shadow (in this case, literally) of the machine that effectively ran the First Order. Being someone else's puppet was still infuriating.

Despite this, there was a glimmer of hope for the Sith to be free: medical technology scavenged from UNSC-held Forerunner caches had the potential to isolate and remove the Poison the Makuta had afflicted him with. And once he was free, that walking scrap of shadow would learn the true meaning of pain.

Palpatine put those thoughts in check as General Hux walked into the throne room, and the Supreme Leader didn't need to use the Force to know that he wasn't going to like the news.

"What is it, General?"

"Supreme Leader..." Hux bowed his head. "I regret to inform you that the prototype tank being tested on Boras II has been destroyed, alongside the factory and the Dust stockpile within." The General took a hurried step back as the former Emperor stood up.

"Who did this?"

"Based on previous attacks, we have reason to believe that some Dark Hunters escaped the Republic's wrath and are responsible for this-" Hux's report was cut off by the Makuta's chuckle as the Master of Shadows appeared from the darkness, causing the General to back up in fright.

"You actually believe the Dark Hunters are responsible?" He shook his head. "No, this is the work of the Order of Mata Nui. In fact, 90% of the 'Dark Hunter raids' against your facilities were false flag operations by them."

"And just who is the Order of Mata Nui?" Palpatine turned to look at his 'master,' refusing to be intimidated. If Teridax was insulted by the lack of respect, he didn't say anything.

"I assumed the name would've made it obvious." The Makuta snarked. "They are an organization that has served the will of Mata Nui, long before the Republic even existed. Now, it appears that they are trying to stop your forces from growing."

"How do you know all this?" Hux asked.

"Since I invaded the Republic's capital and escaped unscathed." Teridax barely kept himself from rolling his eyes at the shocked expressions. "It seems you haven't realized this, but the Republic is but a shell of what it was before the Tidal Wave. Their invulnerability is more illusory than real."

"Be that as it may, we still need more popular support before we can engage in conflict with them." Palpatine said. "We have no evidence, no proof and no justification to go to war with the Republic."

"I will give you all the justification you need." Teridax activated a portal in front of him, then turned to look at Palpatine. "And you had better be ready to act upon it."

And with those words, Teridax stepped through the portal, which promptly shut behind him. Palpatine and Hux waited for a moment until they were sure he was gone, then the Sith turned back to the General.

"Has the equipment arrived from UNSC space yet?"

"Yes, Supreme Leader." Hux pulled out a data pad and looked over it. "The devices are being installed and tests are being run, but we should have them operational within the next solar day."

"Good." Palpatine sat back down in his throne. "Send word to Miss Branwen and the Knights of Ren. They must be ready to act upon my signal."

"It will be done, my Lord."

...

"By the Supreme Leader's will." Kylo Ren nodded, leaving Hux's hologram to vanish. "Finally."

So much had happened since Remnant, and the Knights of Ren had been sidelined for a lot of it. Most of their time now was spent practicing with these Huntsmen and Huntresses from Remnant, and to the surprise of the Force-users, the combat gap was far closer than they would've thought.

Aura and Semblances provided incredible advantages, in some cases, rather unpredictable at that. Combine that with the unique weapons and rather insane fighting styles, and the Knights of Ren were getting beaten far more than they would like.

Naturally, the First Order had run some tests to see if it was possible to give their soldiers Aura, but sadly, that seemed unlikely to work. And the Supreme Leader wasn't quite willing to jeopardize their alliance with Remnant over some more... invasive tests.

But things had changed when this 'Makuta' had revealed itself. Kylo didn't have all the details, but it seemed that Snoke was somewhat allied with this thing, but now really wanted it gone.

A part of Kylo wondered whether he should reach out to the Makuta himself, but decided against it. As the multiversal saying tended to go: "Better the devil you know, than the one you don't," and Snoke at least was a known factor.

And with that, Kylo Ren returned to the Knight training room, ordering his forces to get their equipment ready for a likely fight. Heeding his own advice, Kylo headed to his locker and picked up his helmet, inspecting it once more.

The Kights of Ren had been ordered to get their helmets looked at, under the claim that the First Order needed to make sure that their headgear was connected to the First Order comms network.

Kylo and the others had grudgingly offered up theirs, and they had indeed been outfitted with increased capabilities. But the leader of the Knights was all but certain that they had done something else. At some angles, the exterior and interior of his helmet appeared rusted and pockmarked, yet functionality was not hindered in any way.

Still, it wasn't a huge problem in the grand scheme of things. Donning his mask and ordering the rest of the Knights to do the same, Kylo readied his forces for battle.

...

"As the Supreme Leader wishes." Raven said, causing Hux's hologram to vanish.

While she was rather thrilled at the prospect of finally getting rid of Makuta, it was overshadowed by fear. Unknown to Palpatine, Raven had secretly tried to flee after their disastrous fight with Makuta, she had attempted to flee from the Supremacy and the First Order, only for Teridax to intercept her.

She could still vividly remember the fear and terror she felt during her conversation with him, as he... convinced her to stay. But if this Forerunner technology could remove the Poison, she would gladly do what she could to bring the Makuta down.

Returning to her quarters, Raven pulled out her Dust sword and sheath (thankful that the alliance with Remnant allowed her a constant supply of Dust) and pulled out her mask, pausing to look it over.

Her mask had been sent to the armorers, to ensure that it was updated to First Order standards, especially with their comms. But when she got it back, she found almost imperceptible rust marks in several locations, and they didn't seem to want to be cleaned off.

After trying, she gave up and decided to leave them be, figuring that they added to the intimidation factor. Donning her mask, she prepared herself for the coming fight.

...

Coruscant had suffered a lot in the past few years: between the Tidal Wave and the recent attack by the Shadow Collective and Banished, people were rather scared and angry at the constant attacks. So when yet another series of explosions began carving its way through the cityscape, the populace were all but howling for blood.

He had shifted into the forms of several Order agents that had been publicly seen by the First Order and many others, with Axonn, Brutaka, Trinuma and many others to choose from.

A crude trick like this certainly wouldn't fool the Republic, but it didn't need to: the damage wrought here would be all the excuse needed for suspicion to be cast on the Republic, and regardless of the outcome, Palpatine would have all the excuse he needed to go to war.

Once he had left a sufficient trail of destruction in his wake, Teridax made a big show of creating a dimensional portal and teleporting away before the authorities could properly react, then reappeared in a dark corner of a far away building to witness the devastation.

As the fires raged, Makuta shifted back into his true form and watched as the city burned. The false flag operation against the First Order would be all the excuse Palpatine needed to get the support of both the galaxy and other neutral parties against the Republic.

And while they were distracted, his next project would begin.

* * *

 **Alright, and that's the end of this chapter. Now, I won't spoil what comes next, but suffice to say, this is going to be fun. Admittedly, I know this chapter didn't really have a lot of action to it, but the next one should hopefully make up for it.**

 **As an aside, the planet Boras II comes from a modded map from the original Star Wars Battlefront II, in case anyone was wondering what the stunt course there looked like.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	14. Trust and Conflict

**And now we shall begin the next chapter. After the previous one, a lot of coming events have been set up, and we shall start off with them in a moment. I should mention that this chapter as well as many subsequent ones will have even heavier focus on Teridax and his plans, just so you all know.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, Star Wars, Halo, the MCU or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Voridus and Pavium overlooked the creatures milling below them, the stench of cold metal and death wafting off them. Besides the different colored armor and shaped staff-ends, they were clearly the same type of creatures as the ones escorting them now.

Their host had called them Rahkshi, his 'sons' as he had so eloquently put it. Those biomechanical monstrosities apparently made up the bulk of this Makuta's army, alongside the spider-like creatures he had called Visorak.

And the two brothers were likely to get some form of authority over them.

It had been a rather strange experience for the two Brutes to get to where they were now: the last thing either could remember was preparing to evacuate their base, when all of a sudden, everything went black.

The next thing they knew, they had woken up in the middle of room filled with stasis pods, and a strange robotic titan standing over them. Disarmed of their weapons, Voridus had nevertheless attempted to attack, but was sent sprawling with a single backhand.

Pavium had been a bit more cool-headed, demanding to know where they were and where Atriox was. Makuta had told them the truth: that the Republic had launched an attack on Banished territory and that Atriox himself was either a captive or dead.

After that, well, there wasn't much of a fight. Teridax had both Brutes down on their knees and in bonds of shadow in less than a minute, and then had them pledging their allegiance to him less than an hour later.

Of course, the Makuta clearly wasn't willing to trust them so quickly, which was why they were still confined to his lair, and were being followed by Rahkshi at all times, with the disgusting creatures more than willing to bar them from entering rooms the Makuta didn't want them to be in.

Furthermore, navigating the lair was incredibly difficult as it was: their new 'master' seemed to love darkness to the point that most of the rooms were poorly lit, leaving it all the more difficult to even find their way around.

And even if the brothers tried to escape, there would undoubtedly be nowhere for them to go. They had no weapons, no way to call for a ride, and no idea where they even were. As much as it pained them to admit, they were stuck in the servitude of a being that they could not trust.

Now, they were in another dark and empty room, this one only having a single small dome like structure in the middle of it. The Rahkshi guards ushered the two Brutes closer to the structure, drawing grumbles from Voridus. Before either could ask what was going on, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared above the circular structure.

"Did you enjoy the tour?"

"What we could see." Voridus muttered.

"Is there a point to this?" Pavium agreed. "We have sworn our loyalty to you, and yet we're still prisoners in this place."

"Then perhaps it is time to prove your worth." A hologram of a familiar Jiralhanae figure appeared in front of them, right next to an image of a CAS-class Assault carrier. "My sources tell me that Shipmaster Laccabeus fled from the Banished's destruction aboard his ship, the _Intention's Eye_. You are to locate him for me."

"And what about you?" Voridus asked, knowing that it might not be the wisest action, talking back to their new master, but he had to ask the obvious question. "Why aren't you doing this?"

"I have other tasks to attend to." The red eyes narrowed. "I trust that you will not disappoint me."

...

Makuta Teridax walked out of a dimensional portal and into the throne room of the Supreme Leader on the Supremacy. Taking a look around, he was slightly surprised to find the room vacant, with not even any guards remaining behind. Eyes narrowed, the Makuta left the room, teleporting to all the common locations until he at last located who he was searching for.

Teridax had tracked Palpatine to a large and open hanger on Starkiller Base, and was quick to teleport there, finding the Sith Lord standing in the center of the spacious and surprisingly empty room, with only Hux and a few other officers nearby. Makuta barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he approached.

"It's done." Makuta said. "You are free to attack and crush the Republic."

"Yes, I suppose we are." Palpatine turned to the Shadow Titan. "And that's not all we're free to crush."

At those words, hatches in the floor opened and large lifts activated, with nearly a legion of Stormtroopers and other Special forces rising up on them. Tanks and walkers activated at the edge of the hanger, their weapons powered up, while the Knights of Ren and Raven Branwen dropped from the ceiling, armed and ready for battle.

And all of their weapons were pointed at Teridax.

"Once a Sith, always a Sith, I suppose." Far from being terrified like Palpatine had hoped, the Makuta was actually amused. "You certainly are predictable."

"Your poisons have been cured, Makuta." The Supreme Leader said. "And this hanger has been equipped with devices that will ensure you can't teleport out."

It wasn't as if he truly needed it. His teleportation might have been blocked, but between his new body and all his other powers that Palpatine didn't know about, it would take a lot of firepower to truly hurt him, certainly more than what was present in this room.

"Am I supposed to be scared?" Makuta asked, willing to play his own game. "Should I be begging on my knees now that I'm cornered and helpless?"

"You are outnumbered and outgunned." General Hux interjected. "And your leverage will no longer work. Submit to the Supreme Leader, or your body will be used for scrap metal."

"Take your best shot." Palpatine's eyes narrowed at the insult, with his next words coming in a shout.

"Kill him!"

He waited for the barrage of blasterfire and explosives to rain down on Teridax, but nothing happened. Palpatine turned to find all of the Stormtroopers, the Knights of Ren and Raven just standing there, with their weapons no longer aimed at the Makuta.

"I said, Kill him!" There was still no reaction from anyone.

"You will obey your Supreme Leader!" Hux spat.

"You heard him." Makuta interjected. "Obey your Supreme Leader."

Without hesitation, the Stormtroopers abruptly aimed their guns on the ranking officers and Palpatine himself. But it wasn't just them: Kylo Ren drew his lightsaber and pointed it at the Supreme Leader, while Raven had her Dust blade out and was doing the same.

"What are you doing?" Hux all but shrieked, now under the guns of nearly a hundred Stormtroopers.

"Your army is now mine." Teridax said, the ground clanging under every footstep he took. "The First Order was always mine, your Highness. You never held any power over it, nor do you have any power over me."

"You believe that is power?" Hurling a Force wave that sent Ren and Raven flying back and staggered the other Stormtroopers nearby, Palpatine then unleashed a storm of Force Lightning against Teridax. "This is true power!"

To Palpatine's surprise, the Makuta casually absorbed all the lightning like it was nothing, then sent it right back immediately. The Sith Lord managed to keep the worst of the damage from killing him, only to find himself in the grip of Teridax's Gravity powers.

"I must admit, I'm both impressed and insulted." A flick of his wrist hurled Palpatine into the ceiling. "I'm impressed that you actually had the courage to try and betray me like this." Another flick of the wrist hurled Palpatine into the floor beyond terminal velocity, creating a small crater in the hard metal floor. "And I'm insulted that you thought I wouldn't see it coming."

It was true. From the moment he was forced to reveal himself, Teridax had been planning for this exact eventuality. It was why he had experimented with the helmets of all kinds of First Order troopers, why he had faked an official order to modify all the helmets, including the Knights of Ren and Raven's own.

And it was why he had his Kraata infiltrating through every armor production line on Starkiller Base, the modifications to the helmets ensuring that they would be vulnerable to the same infection that had plagued the Rahi and Matoran on the island of Mata Nui.

First Order soldiers, technicians, vehicle operators, pilots, Special Forces, anyone who wore one of his modified helmets was now under the control of Teridax's will. His boast wasn't empty: the First Order effectively belonged to the Makuta, extensions of his power.

"Like I said, Palpatine." Teridax grabbed him in his clawed hand and lifted the Sith until they were eye level. "You're predictable."

"Get it over with, then." The Supreme Leader spat blood, glaring at the Makuta. "Kill me."

"Just like that? No." A deep chuckle rumbled from the Kraahkan-shaped face. "You have an intellect that mildly impresses, so I won't kill you. Today. But make no mistake, someday, perhaps tomorrow or 100,000 years from now, I will grow tired of you, Palpatine. And on that day, your body will be a meal for scavengers, and your spirit will be thrown back to the Netherworld."

It was a slightly modified version of the speech he had given Icarax all those years ago, but it fit here too. Palpatine's impotent, defiant and slightly fearful glare certainly reminded Teridax of his fellow Makuta after his attempt at breaking from the Brotherhood.

"Now." Teridax dropped Palpatine back on the floor, while the rest of his uninfected officers were being held on their knees by the afflicted Stormtroopers. "I have given you all the justification you need to attack the Republic, and that's what you are going to do. One way or another."

With a glance, Teridax hurled a bolt of Shadow at one of the hanger walls, seemingly at random, at least until a piece of equipment started sparking. The teleportation blocker had been deactivated, allowing the Makuta to leave whenever he liked.

"Make no mistake, Palpatine. Your war against the Republic begins today. Whether you will be leading it is another matter."

"We can't win." Hux spoke up, apparently finding the backbone to keep talking even when Terdax's glare turned to him. "Even with popular support, there's no way we can beat them."

"I don't need you to win." The Makuta replied. "I just need you to draw their attention." He turned to the forces gathered in the hanger. "Go."

Almost as one entity, the bulk of the First Order soldiers began filing out, with vehicles and armor following suit, all prepared to go to war. Only a few elite soldiers remained behind to cover the officers, while the Knights of Ren and Raven kept a close eye on Palpatine. Teridax turned away from the gathering, then abruptly turned his head back.

"Oh, and just in case you think of trying this again, I should let you know one thing: I have my own army."

Portals began appearing all around them as strange multi-colored creatures emerged with bristling spines and all holding strange staffs. The stench of cold metal and death wafted off them.

"My sons will make sure that you stay on task." A dimensional portal appeared behind Teridax as he spoke. "Do not disappoint me."

The portal enveloped him and then vanished.

...

"Well, that didn't take long."

The newscast about the third attack against Coruscant had barely finished before there were reports that the First Order had video evidence that the Republic was behind it, displaying several Order of Mata Nui agents rampaging through the cityscape.

The newscaster then went on to say that many neutral parties in the multiverse were sympathetic to the destruction on Coruscant, and that many would support the First Order's declaration of war against the Republic.

"The Republic has not issued any statement regarding this recent attack on Coruscant." The Devaronian female continued. "Their silence has been alarming, and this whole series of events indicates that the Republic may be preparing-"

"We've issued plenty of statements regarding this." Kiina growled, glaring at the monitor. "You just chose to ignore them."

"It seems the First Order's grip is tighter than we thought." Tahu noted. "If they can censor our response so easily."

"And before anyone asks, no." Helryx spoke up the obvious question could be asked. "All the agents in that attack have been accounted for, there's no way any of them could've done it, let alone all of them."

"It's obviously Teridax." Mata Nui said. "He wants us at war with the First Order."

"And Palpatine is more than happy to oblige." Luke noted. "That's a little surprising."

"But managing to rally all those more neutral parties is not." Master Katarn noted darkly. "Even the Citadel species and the ex-Covenant species are starting to question whether we had anything to do with that."

"It's a distraction." Thrawn knew he was stating the obvious, but it still needed to be said. "Teridax is clearly trying to keep us occupied with the First Order."

"A familiar strategy." Mata Nui noted grimly, the comparison to the Flood's own efforts prior to the Tidal Wave was impossible to ignore. "And no less effective than before."

All of their previous political tricks wouldn't work this time, especially since there were an endless number of ways that Palpatine could spin it in his favor. Even the truth that it was a shapeshifter trying to manipulate them wouldn't work, as the only known shapeshifters in the multiverse with that kind of power were members of the Republic.

Despite their best efforts, a war with the First Order had begun, much sooner than anyone in the Republic would've liked. That realization left High Command silent for a bit as it set in.

"We didn't want this war." Mata Nui finally said after a moment. "But we're going to end it."

...

Red Skull walked through the halls of the old HYDRA base, agents saluting him as they walked by. He only had to show up and prove who he was in order to take command of HYDRA again, and under Makuta's orders, that was exactly what he had done.

The organization was much smaller than he would've liked, years of infighting and failed plans had seen to that. If he had only been here at its height, he could've stopped the old guard conspiracy from ruining HYDRA even further.

Now, he was working with but a fraction of the resources his organization once had, and though the support of this Makuta had been a great boon to them, it still wasn't enough.

His thoughts were interrupted when a portal appeared right in his path, causing the super solider to tense as Teridax emerged from the rift. The Makuta took a look around, then focused his gaze on Red Skull.

"You know why I'm here." The Shadow Titan said. "Do you have the information?"

"We know that what you are looking for is under New Orleans." Red Skull said. "The Roxxon corporation has attempted to dig it up twice, causing two separate catastrophes."

"And the other?"

"The only known sample is locked in a SHIELD base, under heavy guard." Red Skull replied. "They will certainly not relinquish it without a fight."

"Unfortunate for them." Teridax turned down the hallway and headed toward the hanger, gesturing for Red Skull to follow. "I shall retrieve that myself."

"I assume you want us to go to New Orleans?" Schmidt questioned as they reached the main hanger, but Teridax shook his head.

"Your job is to ensure that the Avengers are distracted when the time comes." Makuta turned away. "And you will have reinforcements for that task."

Several portals suddenly appeared in the middle of the hanger, causing the nearby personnel to back away in surprise. Dozens of multi-colored and four legged spider-like biomechanical monsters began crawling into the hanger, causing the HYDRA soldiers to start aiming their weapons before Red Skull's voice ordered them to halt.

"Quite an army." The leader of HYDRA noted. "You seem to have been busy."

"More than you know." Teridax said cryptically. "You shall also get a chance to test my latest creation."

With those words, another portal appeared, this one much larger than the previous one. But instead of more Visorak, a far larger monstrosity emerged, with fire in one hand and ice in the other. Standing almost ten meters in height, the large creature vaguely resembled a rancor from Dathomir, except it looked far more machine than organic.

Even Red Skull took a step back in shock, while Teridax simply smirked at his latest experiment. He had finally managed to create a specimen infused with Dust without it destroying itself, though it was currently limited to the more basic fire and ice types.

Still, he knew that the Avengers would undoubtedly have knowledge of Rahkshi and Visorak, so he wanted to give the heroes something unexpected for them to fight. And whatever the outcome of the fight, he'd still gain more knowledge for the next generation of these creatures.

"It's beautiful." Red Skull whispered, looking over the creature.

"Use it wisely." Teridax said. "There won't be any second chances."

...

After discussing the details of their operation further, Teridax returned to the staging ground where a small force of his Rahkshi were waiting for their master. They turned as one as soon as the Makuta approached.

"Go to New Orleans. Secure the Roxxon facility and retrieve what is buried beneath that city." As the strike force began leaving, Makuta turned to another six Rahkshi who had waited by his order. "You will have another task."

...

Elsewhere, in New York City, three young adults were taking some time off from their college studies and hanging out in Queens. After everything that had happened with the Avengers and the Republic, Peter Parker had been enjoying the time he spent with his best friend Ned Leeds and his girlfriend Michelle Jones.

With the latter aware of his secret life, Peter didn't have much of an issue really talking about it with them, though he still tried to get them to keep their voices down in more public places. Currently, they were sitting outside a cafe, while Peter was regaling them with the story of his trip to Titan at his friend's request.

"So, let me get this straight:" Michelle was saying. "This Thanos guy wanted to wipe out half the universe because he believed he was stopping a population crisis?"

"He wasn't the most sane person when we met him." Peter replied, shaking his head. "And yeah, he really thought that was what he was doing."

"Wow." MJ leaned back. "I'd say calling him a nutjob would be too kind."

"Yeah," Peter sighed. "Then again, the rest of us weren't much better when he showed up."

"And then what happened?" Ned asked.

"Well, he kicked all our asses, even dropping a moon on Iron Man," Peter couldn't suppress a smirk at the awe on their faces, even though he remembered just how nerve wracking it was for him. "and left for Earth once he got the Time Stone. And then the Republic, Separatists and... Flood showed up..." Peter trailed off as his expression darkened, something that caused the other two to wince.

They had been present when the Republic began evacuating the most populated cities elsewhere, and the Midtown class could remember the awe and terror when New York's skyline became filled the interior of a Dyson Sphere, something previously thought to only be science fiction.

They remembered the questions regarding the strange soldiers that seemingly abducted their whole city and many more on their world, only for those queries to fall by the wayside when they heard the laughter.

They remembered the Gravemind's speech, the Star Roads breaching the seemingly impervious structure, how the massive amounts of alien monsters approached as a horde of seemingly imminent death before they all abruptly disintegrated while the Star Roads turned to dust.

But it was worse for Peter, who had remained Spider-Man throughout and had to directly fight against the Flood, watching several heroes to the world die in the process. May had been horrified to learn her nephew was fighting those monsters and relieved when he came back home in one piece.

As for Peter, well, the haunted look in his eyes said it all.

"Sorry man." Ned quickly said. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine." Peter shook his head, breaking the spell that had come over him. "It's just... I'd rather not talk about it, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know." MJ sighed. "I still get nightmares over it." She admitted, suppressing a shudder. Peter moved his hand to hers, squeezing it gently.

"We all do." That was when his Spider-Sense went off. His hand tightened, which MJ didn't fail to notice.

"Peter?"

"Get down!" Peter grabbed Michelle and Ned and pulled them away from the street.

Seconds later, a blast of Lightning struck a parked car across the street, which exploded from the force. Another car was halted when a nine-foot tall armored monstrosity landed on top of it, the creature holding a staff in hand and hissing as the spines on its back tingled in response.

Five more of the same creatures made their landing in around the street, each one a different color and holding a different staff. They paid little mind to the crowds of people around them as they ran, seemingly searching for something or someone.

"What are those things?" Ned shouted. A memory of a Republic data file popped into Peter's mind, one he'd read shortly after the fight with Makuta Teridax.

"Rahkshi." Peter whispered, turning to his best friend and girlfriend. "You need to go, right now!"

"Peter-" Michelle started.

"Go!"

Reluctantly, they did, with Peter breaking off to change into his Spider-Man costume before returning to confront the Makuta sons. One of the Rahkshi's faceplates opened, allowing the Kraata to screech out a vocalization upon seeing Peter. All six Rahkshi turned to him.

"Oh, this is gonna suck."

...

It had been rather quiet at the Avengers Compound. Due to recent events, the Republic had tapped several heavy hitters in the conflict against the First Order, leaving the Avengers a bit short handed.

So when they got a report that something was attacking New York, only Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, War Machine, Falcon and Bucky Barnes were available to answer the call. Nevertheless, they headed straight towards the trouble spot, where they found HYDRA agents openly gunning down people in the middle of the street.

The Avengers ultimately made short work of them, only to find themselves under attack by a swarm of giant biomechanical spiders. With their alliance with the Republic, it didn't take long to realize that the creatures were Visorak, but the fact that HYDRA had apparently unleashed them was cause for alarm.

"How the hell did they find these things?" Rhodey gunned down one Visorak and narrowly avoided the Rhotuka of another. "I thought they were all on Spherus Magna."

"Not if HYDRA is working with Makuta." Black Widow pointed out. "Mata Nui said he might be able to make more of these things."

"Uh, we've got a problem!" Falcon called out. "I'm seeing a lot of those Visorak spiders all across Manhattan! And there's something else..."

A loud robotic roar echoed through the streets as the behemoth monstrosity shattered its way through a building. Fire wafted off its 'skin' while a second roar unleashed a stream of ice from its mouth.

...

In the old Roxxon complex in New Orleans, much of the equipment had been decommissioned, leaving the building to be re-purposed. As such, there was only a skeleton crew of SHIELD security guards in it.

Of course, watching over this place wasn't exactly the most enjoyable of assignments. Which was why when there was slight disturbance of something being knocked over in the main core room, the nearby guard was quick to investigate.

"Is someone there?"

There was no response, not that the man had expected any. Still, he drew his weapon and approached the defunct central core, ready for anything. At least, he thought so, right up until he entered and came face to face with a nine foot tall Staff wielding monster.

No one had heard the man scream.

...

Later

"Are you sure you heard right?" Tandy asked. "It could be nothing."

"I'm not so sure." Tyrone replied. "Several security guards vanishing is hardly nothing."

"Which was what, a few hours ago?" Dagger countered. "It could just be some sort of SHIELD op."

"C'mon, Tandy. Here, of all places?" Cloak said. "It'll be quick: we can just pop in and out before anyone even realizes that we're here."

Holding hands, Tyrone teleported the two of them inside, specifically near the ceiling support beams to avoid being seen by anyone. It was just as well that they did, because the scene below them was a nightmare.

Rahkshi of Molecular Disruption, Disintegration, Plasma and Fragmentation were all gathered around the main core, their combined powers drilling deep underground to reach the treasure that Roxxon had attempted to dig up.

Despite the loud shows of power, everything was strangely muted, as if all the sound had been absorbed from the room. However, there was still enough sound for the two to whisper to each other.

"What the fuck are those things?"

"Something above our paygrade." Tandy whispered. "We need to call SHIELD, let them know."

A hissing sound from behind them interrupted their conversation, and the duo turned to see several of those creatures clinging to the side of the wall, all of their faceplates looking at them.

Despite the terror, Tyrone still had one thing to say:

"Still think this is nothing?"

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. A bit of a cliffhanger, I know, but it was getting too long so I decided to split in two parts. I'll say that a lot of things will get resolved in the next chapter, but beyond that, well, you will all just have to wait and see.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	15. Misdirection

**And now we begin the next chapter. To recap: After bringing the First Order fully to heel and getting them to attack the Republic, Makuta returns to the MCU Earth to retrieve a few things, leaving the Avengers with their own problems to solve.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Bionicle, the MCU, RWBY or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

The war between the Republic and the First Order had begun, and it had not started off well for the First Order. Before their fleets could even begin to marshal, hundreds of acts of sabotage happened within their territory, destroying or crippling a good chunk of their military forces before they could even get off the ground.

However, to the Republic's surprise, the First Order not only had enough forces that those acts of sabotage were ultimately something they weren't stopped by, they actually began attacking strategically important Republic worlds.

For fairly obvious reasons, the superpower had held the locations of their most important worlds very close to the chest, especially during their war with the Separatists. If the First Order knew those locations now, that could only mean one thing: Teridax had taken the data during his raid and leaked it to the new Imperials.

That said, the First Order sustained a fair amount of casualties despite having the element of surprise: despite having numerical superiority in their attack, the Republic's greater tech advantage and orbital defenses exacted a costly toll to the First Order Star Destroyers.

With the attack being beaten back simultaneously across multiple systems, the Republic certainly had the advantage. But then the First Order began displaying something the Republic hadn't expected: Dust infused starship weapons and defenses.

The elemental powers of Dust, combined with with the power generation of the First Order, had born fruit, as Hard Light Dust provided a rather effective defense when paired with their normal shielding systems.

Now, the Republic was finding it much harder for their energy weapons to take effect, and several ships switched to more advanced gravity manipulation techniques, but their efforts were counteracted by Gravity Dust based countermeasures.

With the fight not as remotely as one-sided as it had been moments ago, the outnumbered Republic forces started to take casualties to their smaller ships, forcing the fleet to start falling back.

Palpatine watched as their battle played out, still feeling as powerless as ever. What should've have been his crowning achievement over the Republic was now the Makuta's and the presence of these Rahkshi in his throne room were a constant reminder of that.

Still, beating the Republic was enough to actually bring a slight smirk to his face. What had once been seen as a pipe dream to the original Snoke and his First Order was now a reality.

Then the Republic reinforcements attacked. The first warning the First Order had of the cloaked ships was when the flanks of several fleets came under fire from nothing, the destroyers, frigates and cruisers carving through the Star Destroyers.

Furthermore, the unexpected appearance of several powerful beings among the Republic's ranks made the fight all the worse, as a lightning wielding god, an indestructible android, and an advanced suit of flying armor, began tearing through individual ships.

The weapons that the First Order had created from the designs bought from Lex Luthor weren't having nearly the same effect against these new heroes, who could bring down Star Destroyers by themselves.

Once more, the tide shifted against the First Order, causing Palpatine to snarl in anger. As he gave the order for his ships to fight back, he inwardly cursed the Makuta for forcing him to sacrifice _his_ fleet, _his_ military, all for that wretched creature's schemes.

"By the Force, where is that blasted machine?!"

...

In the Playground, things had become rather hectic for SHIELD, especially with the latest reports. With the Republic occupied against the First Order (and several of the strongest heroes tapped to help them), the Avengers were understaffed, especially when the attackers were giant mechanical spiders in New York.

Nick Fury was leading the efforts to help the Avengers, but it clearly wouldn't be enough. And now, they had new and much more worrying problems, as Mack and Coulson were discussing while walking down the hallway.

"We're getting reports of multiple attacks." Mack said. "Reports say that Spider-Man is being chased through Queens by six Rahkshi, and the SHIELD agents we sent to the New Orleans Roxxon division went dark."

"What about Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson?" Coulson asked. "Any reports from them?"

"Nothing yet." Mack sighed. "But given everything else that's happening, it can't be a coincidence."

"It's not looking like it, no." Coulson agreed. "We'll send the Defenders to help Spider-Man, while the Secret Warriors meet up with Cloak and Dagger in New Orleans."

"Are you sure that shouldn't be the other way around?"

"The kid _is_ an Avenger." Coulson pointed out. "He definitely can handle himself with less support. At any rate, we both know what's under New Orleans. That's our priority right now."

"Understood." Mack nodded. "What about you?"

"I'm going to check on the Lighthouse." Coulson replied. "If this really is Teridax, then I'd feel safer if that place is even more secure. And in the meantime, I'm going to keep trying to get Republic reinforcements."

There was nothing else that needed to be said, and the two SHIELD agents set off to their respective tasks.

...

Spider-Man ducked and weaved throughout the city in an effort to draw his pursuers away from the general populace. A task that was much easier said than done when your fastest method of travel was via webslinging and your opponents could fly.

He had tried calling for back up, but something seemed to be jamming the comms, meaning that he couldn't reach SHIELD. And from what he could tell, the Avengers currently had their own problems. Which meant he was alone against these things.

On the next swing, Spider-Man launched himself towards the lead Rahkshi, who was so surprised by the action that it couldn't avoid being kicked in the face. The Rahkshi swerved out of control and hit one of its brothers, knocking them both from the sky.

Just as he aimed to attack another one, Spider-Man suddenly felt himself grow heavy, gravity sending him straight for the ground. Acting quickly, he fired a web line that managed to slightly arrest his momentum, but he still hit the ground more quickly than what was recommended for a normal human.

"I'm gonna be feeling that tomorrow." Peter groaned.

Suddenly, he was lifted up into the air as the other Rahkshi landed around him. The one he recognized as a Gravity Rahkshi had its staff pointed at him, while a dark grey Rahkshi (which Peter recognized as a Stasis field type) pointed its own staff at him.

Thinking quickly, Spider-Man managed to web the Gravity Rahkshi's staff, pulling it out of its hands and cutting off the changing Gravity. As soon as he hit the ground, he swung the staff hard into the Stasis field Rahkshi, stunning it.

His Spider-sense kicked in and he ducked, narrowly avoiding the bolt of lightning that impacted the Stasis field Rahkshi and sent it flying. Peter backflipped over the subsequent blast of lightning, webbing the attacker in the face and pulling hard, sending the Rahkshi into the ground. That was when he was beset upon by a swarm of insects.

"Are you kidding me?"

Peter swatted randomly as the Insect Control Rahkshi kept up the pressure, driving him back. His Spider-Sense warned him of the Chameleon Makuta son behind him and he used that to his advantage, ducking under the creature's staff and blows, before webbing up its legs, leaping onto its head and sending the creature to the ground.

As he did that, Peter also jumped over the Insect swarm and landed on top of its coordinator, stomping it to the ground, allowing Peter to web its arms and legs to the street.

"Ok, five down, one to go." His Spider-Sense tingled again.

He reacted just in time to grab the center of another Rahkshi's staff as it leapt at him. The black-clad Rahkshi forced Spider-Man to his knees, the webhead realizing too late that his energy was being drained by Hunger.

With what little energy he had, he kickflipped off the Rahkshi, landing less than gracefully from so little strength. He didn't have a chance to recover, as Lightning struck him in the back, causing Peter to scream in agony.

When the lightning finally cut out, Peter was too drained to put up any resistance as a stasis field enveloped him. The next thing he knew, the field had been dropped and he fell back on the ground, the Rahkshi suddenly occupied with another fight. The stasis field Rahkshi was on the ground, its Kraata being stomped on by another figure.

"Rise and shine, Spider-boy." A hand grasped his and pulled him up, bringing Peter face to face with Jessica Jones. "Nap time's over."

"It's Spider-Man." Peter staggered as he attempted to get his bearing, nearly falling before Jessica kept him steady.

"You good, kid?" The mocking tone was replaced with concern, a rare change of pace for the snarky detective.

"Yeah, yeah." Peter groaned. "Just give me a minute."

"Jess, we could use some help over here!" Luke Cage shouted, pushing through the horde of insects as they tried to sting him. He screamed in pain when Lightning was shot into his body, but the current cut off when Jessica tackled the Rahkshi into the ground.

Meanwhile, the Chameleon Rahkshi was having a difficult time actually fighting Daredevil, as the blind lawyer was easily able to detect and avoid its cloaked blows, but that cut both ways, as Matt's blows barely had any effect to the son of Makuta.

The Gravity Rahkshi was pushing Danny against the ground, but its power was cut off when Colleen shoved her enhanced sword through its back and into its head, killing the Kraata and leaving the Rahkshi lifeless.

Meanwhile, Luke had managed to get to the Insect control Rahkshi, and threw towards Danny, who used an Iron Fist punch to rip out its Kraata. But the Hunger Rahkshi was suddenly bearing down on Luke, draining his energy. Peter, who had recovered at last, reacted when the creature roared at Luke.

As the Rahkshi's faceplate opened, Peter fired a taser web into the Kraata's face, amping up the voltage far past what a human could survive. The Hunger variant screeched and writhed before stopping, its armor clattering uselessly to the ground.

That just left the Lightning and Chameleon Rahkshi, and between the six heroes, the final two Makuta sons were defeated with relatively minimal effort. Once the battle was finished, Peter just sat on the ground, panting heavily from the physical exertion, which the rest of the Defenders were similarly feeling.

"Thanks for the help." Spider-Man said between breaths. "If you guys hadn't shown up-"

"Just be glad we found you in time." Matt said. "Those things were moving pretty fast."

"To which we can thank SHIELD, I guess." Jessica pulled out a flask.

"So, not that I'm complaining or anything." Peter spoke up after a moment. "But... where are the Avengers?"

"They're a little occupied right now."

...

With Thor, Iron Man and Vision currently working with the Republic, and Doctor Strange apparently unavailable, the Avengers were stretched relatively thin. Hence when a horde of biomechanical spiders began rampaging throughout downtown New York, they were hard pressed to deal with them.

War Machine unleashed a barrage of gunfire and missiles, cutting down a dozen Visorak as he did. Scarlet Witch casually grabbed another two dozen telekinetically and hurled them into each other, their legs twitching helplessly before they were crushed together.

Bucky managed to wrestle one of the creatures off him, stabbing through it with his enhanced knife until he drove the energy-sheathed blade through the Visorak's brain. He pushed it off and rolled away just in time to avoid another Rhotuka spinner as more Visorak began approaching.

With a sigh, Bucky picked up his discarded Republic carbine and began firing again. Elsewhere, Black Widow and Falcon were using their own Republic enhanced weapons to shoot down what Visorak they could, already knowing that normal weapons wouldn't have much of an effect.

Between their fire, the Avengers were slowly but surely wearing down the spiders, but it still wasn't fast enough, and to make things worse, there was still that rampaging colossus to deal with.

Fortunately, the tide began to turn as SHIELD arrived, with Nick Fury and Maria Hill, coming up alongside Black Widow's cover, their own Republic enhanced weapons aiding in killing several other Visorak.

"Sorry we're late." Fury jokingly said, his shots chewing through the armor of a Suukorak.

"About time you show up." Natasha grumbled, ducking as a Boggarak spinner flew over her head, then shooting the creature in the eye before it could emit a sonic hum. "Where's Spider-Man? You'd think this would be right up his alley."

"He was ambushed by Rahkshi." Hill responded. "The Defenders are helping him now."

Suddenly, their cover melted once struck by an acid spinner, and they scattered to avoid the resulting Keelerak buzzsaw. The Keelerak shrieked, but suddenly exploded in a shower of explosive rounds as Rhodey flew by, the War Machine armor bombarding the line of spiders while juking and weaving through the Rhotuka that tried to target him.

"What about the rest of SHIELD?" Nat continued like nothing happened. "The Secret Warriors?"

"They're apparently busy in New Orleans." Fury replied. "A lot of SHIELD agents went dark, and we have reason to believe that Makuta wants what's hidden under that city." Sam abruptly flew down and landed next to the three SHIELD agents.

"So, all this," Falcon gestured to the dozen Visorak corpses around them. "it's just a distraction?"

"Looks like it." Hill sighed. "And the Republic is rather occupied right now."

"Fortunately, there was still someone else we could call."

Fury whistled, and suddenly a van popped up in front of them, right in the middle of the street. Two figures stepped out, both clad in similar looking costumes and helmets. Meanwhile, two relatively older people were sitting at the front of the van.

"You owe me for this, Fury." Hank Pym said, while Janet sighed. But the rest paid little mind, when talking to the two others in front of them.

"Tic tac?"

"Hey." Scott Lang shook Falcon's hand. "Good to see you guys again."

"I hate to interrupt the reunion, but I think we have a bigger problem to deal with." Hope van Dyne said, pointing towards the Visorak moving towards them.

And with that, Ant-Man and the Wasp had joined the fray, shrinking and weaving between the spiders, occasionally tossing out shrink disks that rendered a number of Visorak no larger than a normal spider.

With the addition of SHIELD, Ant-Man and Wasp, the battle rapidly turned in the Avengers favor, and soon all that was left to deal with was the large fire and ice-breathing Rahi. Hope tried a shrinking disk, but the fire that wafted off incinerated the device before it could impact.

It retaliated by breathing ice in their direction, flash freezing several SHIELD agents in their tracks. It roared as the retaliation fire from the other Avengers and SHIELD agents clearly hurt it, but it was clear that it wasn't killing it fast enough.

"Alright, let's try a different approach." Scott set his regulator up and grew giant sized.

Now towering over the Rahi in question, Scott punched it in the face, knocking the rancor looking Rahi back. The creature breathed fire again, but the Ant-Man suit held, and Scott managed to push the creature back.

With the Rahi distracted, War Machine flew behind and unloaded his more powerful weaponry at the creature's back, which when combined with more Republic-enhanced weaponry, was able to finally put the creature down.

Scott shrunk down to normal size as SHIELD and the Avengers gathered around, the former keeping their guns trained on the Rahi while the latter were calling Damage Control.

"So, I guess that's it then?" Scott asked, but Nick Fury had a scowl on his face that said otherwise.

"I just got word from Coulson."

...

Earlier

Phil Coulson walked through the halls of the Lighthouse, moving quickly while agents were quick to get out of his way. He headed downwards to the Vault levels of the base, his urgent footsteps bringing him closer to his goal.

The Lighthouse was an old SHIELD base that had built many years ago, and had been reactivated prior to the Tidal Wave. With the Flood attack destroying a number of their more advanced facilities, this base had been re-tasked with being a storage facility for some of the most dangerous substances on the planet.

With the Republic's help, they were able to get the facility in working order and even get the security systems up and running, but despite the help of the superpower, this was still a SHIELD base, and it was still under their protection.

Which was why it wasn't surprising for Coulson to arrive in the Vault ante-chamber and find a collection of guards in SHIELD uniforms standing outside the Vault in question. They were however, surprised to see Coulson, as the lead guard walked up the Director with a confused look on his face.

"Director Coulson? I thought you were-" That was all the guard had time to say before 'Coulson' blasted him with Shadow, punching a hole through his chest and causing the body to fall to the floor.

A blast of chain lightning took out the rest of the guards before they could properly react. Their boss's form stepped over their smoking corpses, reforming itself into Teridax's Shadow Titan form mid-stride.

With a glance at the Vault, the Makuta resisted the urge to snort. All these defenses, and still so little protection. He knew that the Vault had power dampening technology inside it, and trying to use brute force would only trigger them and lock him in here.

Instead, Teridax merely put his hand on the Vault lock console, injecting the virus into its systems. The power dampeners were shut down, leaving Teridax to tear the Vault door off with magnetism and giving him the first real view of his prize.

It was hovering in the middle of a clear box, the silvery substance looking not unlike that of Energized Protodermis. The only difference was that this substance was shifting and hovering under its own power, clearly demonstrating the property that it was named for.

"One down."

...

The confusion of the entry guards was fairly understandable when Coulson arrived at the main entrance, especially when their records already showed that he had already been seen here and had immediately headed toward the vault.

By the time they had cleared up the confusion, it was already far too late. The real Coulson arrived just in time to witness Teridax teleporting away with the Gravitonium.

* * *

 **Alright, so this is going to be the end of the chapter. Rest assured, the next part will deal with New Orleans and wrap up Teridax's attack on the MCU Earth, and it will be out next week, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Sorry that it's taking so long, but this section went on longer than I anticipated.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	16. Light and Shadow

**And here it is, the last chapter of the MCU Earth attack. To recap what happened previously: the Avengers and Spider-Man were each attacked by Makuta's forces, allowing Teridax to steal Gravitonium from the Lighthouse. Meanwhile, a small army of Rahkshi have stealthily infiltrated New Orleans, aiming to steal what's hidden underground.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, the MCU or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

A storm had fallen over New Orleans when they had attacked the Roxxon facility. Between the darkening weather and setting sun, the city was slowly covered in darkness when the Rahkshi had struck.

The attack had actually been fairly quiet. It could barely even be called an attack, as the Rahkshi included Silence, Chameleon and Illusion variants to keep their presence hidden for as long as possible while Molecular disruption, disintegration, plasma and shattering Rahkshi had already begun digging up one of Roxxon's old facilities, intent on collecting what was hidden underground for their master.

But the unfortunate disappearance of the SHIELD guards who had stumbled upon them (and their subsequent silencing of the rest) had drawn the attention of the city's resident superhumans, and Cloak and Dagger had gone to investigate.

Now, the two were fleeing from the nine foot tall monstrosities, with Tandy hurling light daggers at the Makuta sons as they ran. The creatures of shadow were extremely vulnerable to the light, with one dagger to the head enough to kill the Kraata in it, but there were too many and they had little room to maneuver.

Tyrone teleported them outside, but seconds later a teleportation Rahkshi had followed with two of its brethren. One unleashed a small cyclone onto the streets, threatening to draw the duo in.

Fortunately, the cyclone was disrupted when a blast of concentrated vibrations struck the creature creating it, dissipating the cyclone and sending the Rahkshi flying. Tyrone and Tandy turned to see the Inhuman known as Daisy Johnson standing right behind them, alongside her team.

The other two SHIELD agents reacted quickly, with Lincoln electrocuting the teleportation Rahkshi and Yo-yo knocking the Silence Rahkshi away, allowing the group to actually speak for a moment.

"Are you guys alright?" Daisy asked, as Ty and Tandy rose to their feet.

"We're fine." Ty groaned. "But I don't think any of your SHIELD friends made it out of there."

"Especially not with all those things hiding in there!" Tandy pointed at the building, where a veritable army of Rahkshi were emerging, most blasting holes or shattering walls to get outside.

"This might be a problem." Lincoln muttered.

"Can we call the Avengers?" Ty asked. "Because I really think we could use some back up here."

"The Avengers... have their own problems." Daisy said, blasting a Rahkshi back with her vibrational blasts. "New York's currently under attack by an army of Visorak spiders." Tandy and Tyrone looked at each other, their confusion palpable.

"Visorak?" Tandy casually asked as another light dagger took down a Rahkshi.

"Did you guys pay attention to our briefings?" Daisy sighed. "Never mind, point being, we can't really expect the Avengers or the Republic to help us right now."

"Looks like Teridax really wants what Roxxon was digging up." Yo-yo noted, as several Rahkshi abruptly exploded. "Let's make it difficult for him, shall we?"

"Wait, who's Teridax?"

"He's a manipulating schemer with an unhealthy love of darkness." Daisy noticed the look Tryone was sending her. "No offense. Short version, these things," she gestured to the Rahkshi, "are his sons."

"And they are lovely children." Lincoln snarked, absorbing a blast of chain lightning and sending it back into the Rahkshi ranks. "Really, he should be so proud."

Yo-yo ran forward again, already preparing more bombs to implant in the Rahkshi armor, but abruptly she slowed to a normal speed, making her highly visible to the Makuta sons, several of whom turned their staffs to her.

The only reason she survived the resulting energy blasts was because of the "bounce back" part of her abilities, and even then, she was too close to the explosion to make it unscathed.

"Shit, Yo-Yo!" Lincoln immediately rushed to her side, relieved to see that she was alive while alarmed by all the burns and cuts on her. "She's alive, but she needs proper medical attention."

"And we can't stay here." Daisy agreed. The Rahkshi ranks were already closing in on them, so she activated her comms. "What's the status on that air support?"

"Inbound in 60 seconds." Came the reply.

True to their prediction, three Quinjets approached exactly a minute later, their weapons already spinning up and firing on the horde of monsters. A number of them fell as Gravity and magnetism worked to halt the rest of the projectiles as best as they could.

The Close air support became less helpful as a Weather Control Rahkshi let its power loose, unleashing high winds and storm clouds that made it difficult for the pilots to keep their jets steady.

Pushing its staff into the ground, a Fragmentation Rahkshi unleashed a beam from its staff and into the sky, striking one of the Quinjets and causing it to spin out of control. Heat and Laser vision took out another, while a Cyclone mixed with plasma brought the third down, leaving the SHIELD agents with no cover as the Makuta sons approached.

...

"We've just received a report that Teridax is back on Earth-199999."

"And of course he just happens to be there when the First Order is attacking us. Great."

"Do we have anyone we can send?"

"I'll alert Mata Nui, but he's in the middle of a battle right now, so we can't count on him showing up in time. Nor can we recall that Earth's own heroes back yet. Everyone else is also occupied or- wait, there is someone available."

"... Well, that's convenient."

...

The street suddenly became filled with Light, causing all the Rahkshi to recoil away in pain. Everyone else was forced to cover their eyes for a moment as the light dimmed, revealing a figure in gold and white armor standing in the middle of the street, with a portal closing behind him.

"Sorry I'm late." Takanuva said.

The Toa of Light punctuated his arrival with a blast of Light, which instantly destroyed the Rahkshi that it struck. The rest of the Makuta sons immediately turned to him, their spines bristling, but this still bought the SHIELD agents time to rally and attack back.

Even still, the group was horrifically outnumbered and outgunned, at least until more portals opened and the Avengers and Defenders stepped out, with more SHIELD personnel following alongside them. Among them was Coulson, who had a rather dour look on his face. He took cover nearby Daisy, who noticed his expression.

"Glad to have reinforcements." The Inhuman noted. "But I'm guessing there's some bad news."

"Makuta took the Gravitonium." Coulson replied. "He broke into the Lighthouse and took it right out from under our noses."

"Which means everything else was a distraction." Daisy realized. She gestured to the battle going on around them. "Including this?"

"I don't think so." Black Widow replied, as she dodged a Shattering blast. "Considering the number of Rahkshi, I think Teridax definitely wants what's here."

"We can confirm that." Tandy hurled another light dagger as she spoke, taking out a Rahkshi in the process. "We definitely saw them digging up Roxxon's core."

"And as far as we know, they're still doing that." Tyrone teleported next to Tandy and grabbed her, moving her away from a disintegration beam. "We need to stop them before it's too late."

But it already was.

While the battle was raging outside, the Rahkshi digging through the facility had completed their task, but no one could've predicted what happened next. The instability from the previous attempts by Roxxon had caused the energy to spread throughout the ground, and the latest disruption brought it all back to the surface in an unpredictable manner.

Several small jets of the power began emerging from the ground around the facility, as clouds of darkness and light, one beam of which almost seemed drawn to Takanuva and struck him, sending the Toa of Light flying.

The battle abruptly came to a halt as Rahkshi, humans and Inhumans alike attempted to avoid the sudden disruption in the middle of the city. Spider-Man weaved through the streets as he narrowly avoided a jet of black energy, while Scarlet Witch launched herself back as light erupted from underneath her.

Cloak and Dagger looked around wearily, worried that exposure to this energy might create more terrors from Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but fortunately, it seemed that (with the exception of Takanuva) everyone was fine.

That situation was soon to change.

Without warning, one of the crashed Quinjets abruptly launched itself into the air and slammed itself into War Machine, magnetizing itself to his armor and knocking him out of the battle, with the magnetic interference disrupting his armor's systems.

Spider-Man was the next to get blasted away, as a Cyclone abruptly appeared beneath him and swallowed him up before he could react. He tried to hold onto a web to secure himself, but the freak tornado broke his grip before launching him in a high arc across the city. His parachute deployed to bring him down safely, but it would take time to head back to the Roxxon building.

Scarlet Witch just abruptly collapsed, the full force of Sleep hitting her and knocking her unconscious before she could even attempt to fight it off. Scott grew to his giant form, but an increase in gravity also had him on the ground, and the effect wasn't lessened by shrinking himself down.

By this point dark laughter was echoing through the streets, and the remaining SHIELD agents and Avengers turned to the source. Teridax had arrived in front of his Rahkshi, as darkness began to spread to the remaining light sources.

"Take him down!" Coulson shouted, but it was abruptly drowned out by a high frequency humming that shattered windows and burrowed into their skulls.

Teridax's Sonic hum had the humans and Inhumans doubled over in pain, clutching their ears in a vain effort to block out the sound. The Makuta didn't let up, a smirk on his mask as he spoke.

"This is the best this world has to offer?" His voice could still be heard, even in spite of their pain. "How pathetic."

"Enough, Makuta!" A blast of light struck Teridax's armor, causing him to let up the Sonic wave as Takanuva approached. The Toa of Light looked different, his armor glowing even more than normal and causing the Rahkshi to recoil away.

"Ah, the Toa of Light." Teridax chuckled. "I thought you would've learned that your powers are no longer effective against me."

"Things have changed." Abruptly, a hundred light clones of Takanuva appeared in the street, standing between the downed SHIELD operatives and Avengers.

"This is your best effort?" The Makuta raised an eyebrow. "An army of holograms?"

"They're not holograms." Takanuva moved as one, the hardlight bodies each unleashing a powerful blast of light.

Channeling the LightForce, Takanuva's attack wiped out all the Rahkshi and brought their master to one knee. Teridax cursed as his Shadows were dispersed, realizing how much he'd underestimated his foe, and more specifically, the LightForce he controlled.

He needed an advantage over the Toa's sudden enhancements and quickly. Noticing a nearby pillar of black energy, Teridax stuck his hand in it, absorbing the DarkForce and letting loose an enhanced blast of Shadow, dispelling the Light attack and creating a brief impasse before the fight began again.

Whereas Takanuva created an army of Hard Light copies, Teridax now had an army of Shadow Clones. The two forces immediately came into conflict, with the Makuta's clones fortunately lacking the rest of their progenitor's powers.

The rest of the Avengers and the others woke or recovered just in time to see this battle, and quickly realized that this fight was out of their league, especially as the battle continued to rage all over the city, the army of clones being dispersed by the attacks of the other.

Takanuva had actually turned into light, launching himself directly at the Makuta. But Teridax's new powerup allowed him to actually become Shadow itself, which dispersed to avoid the beam of light, both sources starting to fly through the city skyline.

It was as if the brightest star and the deepest black hole were fighting a war in the midst of New Orleans. The Toa of Light and the Master of Shadows had effectively become the elements they embodied.

Their duel culminated over the Roxxon facility itself, where the light and shadow hurled toward each other and collided, creating a blast that knocked all the witnesses off their feet.

Two figures were sent flying from the heart of the blast, drained of the DarkForce and LightForce and leaving their powers back to normal. Unfortunately, Teridax recovered far more quickly and teleported back to the Roxxon building, where the two sources had returned.

With a swipe of Vanisher's spear, the DarkForce and LightForce were absorbed into a portal. Teridax sealed the rift up and turned away just in time to avoid another blast of light Takanuva sent his way.

The Makuta immediately opened a portal of his own and retreated, leaving a massive amount of destruction and dead Rahkshi behind.

...

Red Skull stood over the table, looking out on all the carnage that had been caused by the attack on New York. At this point, the city was under clean up, with Damage Control already working to clean up the mess that had resulted from the attack. Another news report had a similar scene in New Orleans.

Turning off the news report, Red Skull's eyes were drawn to another report and problem that HYDRA was facing, one that might actually be improved by their new leader's support. And of course, that was the moment when Teridax arrived.

"What is it, Skull?" The Makuta walked out of his portal as he spoke. "This better be important."

"I believe it is." Red Skull said, gesturing towards the table. "During my absence, HYDRA has made a lot of deals or worked on projects. One of these deals was an arrangement with an alien alliance known as the Confederacy."

"Your point?"

"Well, the short version is that the Confederacy desires Gravitonium." Schmidt explained. "Specifically, the Gravitonium that was stolen from the SHIELD base. Another leader of HYDRA, a General Hale, had promised them Gravitonium and Inhumans in exchange for protection against alien attack."

"An obvious lie, no doubt." Teridax's eyes narrowed. "But why are you wasting my time with this?"

"The Confederacy... is aware that the Gravitonium was taken." Red Skull replied. "They're saying that if it isn't given to them per their arrangement, then their retaliation will be swift and merciless."

"Then it appears I have a meeting with this Confederacy."

...

The Confederacy meeting was always in a dark room filled with alien writing holographically projected around them. It had been that tradition since the first founding of the Confederacy, and it continued to the present day.

Of course, things weren't all that spectacular for the alien alliance these days. The Tidal Wave had left them considerably weakened, forcing them to continue their extortion of Earth, which was no longer an easy task thanks to their alliance with the Republic.

So when the Republic forces had been recalled, the Confederacy had considered it the perfect time to try and gain what they had been promised by HYDRA, only for someone or something else to snatch it up before they could.

Naturally, they had contacted HYDRA's current head and threatened retribution if the Gravitonium wasn't handed over. It was a bluff, of course, but it seemed to work, as HYDRA said they would send an emissary to discuss the handover.

They hadn't expected for the emissary to emerge from a dimensional portal, nor had they expected just _what_ came out. Instead of a weak human, a fourteen foot tall black and red mechanical titan stepped out of the rift, towering over the rest of the gathering, its red eyes taking in the surroundings.

The guards in the room tensed, suddenly rather unsure about the weapons they had in their hands. To the credit of the leaders in the room, they were much more composed at the unexpected arrival, at least outwardly.

"You are supposed to be HYDRA's representative?" Kasius questioned.

"In a manner of speaking." An unnaturally deep male voice emerged from the robot's mouth. "And you are clearly the lying sack of Doom Viper filth that calls itself the Confederacy."

"How dare you!" Crixon, the leader of the Astran faction, shouted. "We will not tolerate the insolence of a machine. Earth will suffer for that insult."

"We both know that you can't actually retaliate." Teridax countered. "Not that it matters to me even if you could."

"You speak of things you don't understand." One of the other leaders said. "Our Confederacy has stood for centuries-"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Makuta snorted. "You are tin pot tyrants cowering in the dark. A domain which," The shadows abruptly began to increase, dousing all but one of the holograms surrounding them. "belongs to me."

The guards took aim with their weapons, but suddenly found themselves restrained by bonds of Shadow, leaving them helpless on the floor. Despite that sudden helplessness, the leaders still refused to show their fear.

"We had an agreement with HYDRA." Qovas, the Remorath leader, said. "The Confederacy would provide their aid, and in exchange, we would be given Gravitonium and Inhumans."

"The terms have changed. Here's how this works: you all serve my will now."

"You will not-AAHHH!" A Shadow Hand dragged Crixon into Teridax's mass. This left a terrified silence in the room as the Confederacy leaders recoiled in fear at that sight.

"Anyone else?" There was no response. "Good." The Makuta increased the gravity around the other Confederacy members while simultaneously shifting his form into a vortex of energy. "Now, on your knees."

The vortex of Shadow energy emitted glowing red eyes as the Makuta emitted fear throughout the room. Terrified beyond all rational thought. and looking at what seemed like a living force of nature, Estella could only say one thing.

"You are a God." Dark laughter echoed from the vortex at that comment.

"I am Makuta. Gods fear me."

...

Some time later, Makuta Teridax finally returned to his lair. Overall, it had been a busy day for the Master of Shadows, yet despite everything, his plans had proceeded well within his expectations.

He had the DarkForce, the LightForce and an acceptable amount of Gravitonium. More importantly, he now had an idea of how to use the former for his work. Furthermore, the Rahi had performed admirably against the Avengers (even if it failed), which would allow him to refine the next test subjects he made.

Losing the secondary objective of capturing Spider-Man was disappointing (the young hero certainly had potential for Teridax to use), but the unexpected windfall of getting that Confederacy on his side more than made up for it.

"We have received the samples you sent." The Monitor greeted cheerfully. "These truly are fascinating materials!"

"Begin integrating them into the structure." Teridax ordered, looking back to the control console, which contained holographic images and data on the next objects he intended to acquire. "I will begin the next phase soon."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Teridax has been a busy little Makuta, and his plan is only going to get more and more complex from here on out. But just what is he planning? Well, you're going to have to wait and see.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	17. Countermoves

**Alright, and we shall now begin the next chapter of Shattered Destinies. After the last three chapters mostly consisted of Makuta's raid on the MCU Earth, this one will take a step back and return to the bigger picture for a little while. So, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, the MCU or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

The latest High Command meeting had been assembled hastily and incompletely, especially in regards to the latest news. Between the First Order pressing in on their borders, and the latest raid by Makuta, things had gotten increasingly hectic.

Several leaders were absent, with Thrawn and Tahu being too busy with the war against the First Order to attend, and even Mata Nui was only present via hologram, along with several others.

"Well, now we know why Teridax wanted the First Order to go to war." Nick Fury said, scowling. "So he could return to our Earth and steal Gravitonium as well as the substances under New Orleans."

"I have a feeling that's just the start." Mata Nui said. "I don't think Makuta would go to all this effort just to raid one world. It's likely that he has a number of targets in mind."

"Targets that we can't even begin to guess." Kiina muttered.

"So, can we confirm that the Makuta is allied with the First Order?"

"It seems plausible." The Republic Intelligence head admitted. "All the planets the First Order have attacked were in the databanks that Makuta raided. But we cannot be certain just how deep that alliance goes, or if there even is any connection besides leaking intel."

"Even if it is more than that, he won't care about anything we do to the First Order, anyway." Helryx scowled. "Teridax would sacrifice them all without hesitation."

"How are Stark, Thor and Vision taking the news?" Ackar asked, changing the subject. "That their home was attacked?"

"They... weren't happy." Coulson replied. "Stark in particular was rather pissed that Teridax attacked while he was away, and that he went after Spider-Man in the process. I think he plans on staying here for a while."

"I'll tell Romanoff to keep an eye on him." Fury said. "The last thing we need is another Ultron on our hands, especially at a time like this."

"Moving along, how goes the war against the First Order?" Kaldur asked, clad in his Aquaman uniform.

"Progress... has been slow." Luke Skywalker said. "We haven't been able to launch any major counterstrikes into First Order space since their initial attack."

"The good news is that they aren't advancing any further." Mata Nui continued. "We've been able halt and push their offensive back, with minimal civilian casualties. Furthermore, sabotage missions are expected to continue, even if we can't launch a full scale attack yet."

"My people are more than willing to undertake those missions." An Ancient Predator said. "We will pay the First Order back in kind."

"Do it." Mata Nui said. "Between your sabotage and our defenses, we can drive the First Order back."

...

The battle for the planet Rylar IV continued to rage overhead, as the Republic military base on the ground continued to deploy fighters to harass the First Order fleet in orbit while the nearby city was evacuated.

Due to the ferocity of the attack here, as well as the fact that many Republic fleets were tied up elsewhere, this meant that the Star Destroyers were actually able to break through and assault the surface of this forested world.

This was one of the rare planets where the First Order was actually able to land anyone on the ground, bypassing the orbital defenses long enough for the dropships to get to the surface, deploying the elite strike teams needed to take this place down.

Consisting primarily of Huntsmen and Huntresses from Remnant, they had been ordered to infiltrate this Republic base and take out the defensive shield, allowing the First Order to bombard the base with impunity. They had been forced to land some distance away, as Republic AA fire had already destroyed any dropships that attempted to get too close.

Stormtroopers and various Imperial Special Forces had also been deployed with armor and fire support in an effort to breach the defenses of the base, methodically making their way through the treeline, but they were quickly discovering the hard way just why the Republic had been the top dog in the multiverse for so long.

The first sign of the ambush was when a massive fissure opened in the ground and swallowed up several scout walkers based on Atlesian Paladins, before sealing and crushing them and their pilots. An Asari appeared in the center of the First Order formation with a biotic charge, gunning down several Stormtroopers before unleashing a biotic Nova that knocked a tank over.

With the distraction in their midst, the First Order took heavy casualties as more Republic soldiers began appearing from around them, uncloaking and letting loose with either standard small arms, heavy weapons, or various elemental powers.

The battle raged and created a disjointed light show through the forest, tearing the region apart as the ground and plant life started to attack the First Order, aiding the Republic in their efforts. Then several Republic gunships showed up, tearing apart the larger walkers piece by piece.

But this allowed the Huntsmen and Huntresses to slip by with minimal casualties, as had been their plan from the start. Out of all the First Order forces, they had the best chance of actually getting to the base, and that had been factored into the plans, with the rest of the First Order soldiers providing a distraction.

Soon they were approaching the base, and between a combination of stealth, their Aura, Semblances and weapons, most of the Republic sentries had been taken out quietly, as the bulk of the defenders had been sent out to deal with the distraction.

Just as the Huntsmen and Huntresses approached the walls themselves, they were all disarmed in a nanosecond by a streak of light. The streak abruptly became a biomechanical figure holding an unusual polearm.

"I am Umbra." The being said. "You are trespassing on Republic soil. Prepare to die."

...

Far from Republic space, there was a First Order staging ground that prepared more troops for the intended invasion of the superpower's territory. Unbeknownst to them, there were infiltrators in their midst.

Clad in a First Order officer uniform, Loki walked through the halls of the First Order base, disguised as an ordinary officer. He could feel his unseen escort trailing behind him, but so far, no one had taken any undue notice of them.

"Is this really the best use of our time?" Loki whispered. "With our powers, surely we can more easily attack their leadership."

"Forgive us for not trusting your change of heart so quickly." Jerbraz replied. "While your actions certainly helped with the Shadow Collective, we're not just going to let you run around like a wild Kikanalo."

"Please, that's always been my brother's way." Loki wasn't sure what a Kikanalo was, but the message had been clear. "I prefer a more subtle approach."

"Then we should get along just fine."

That signaled the end of the conversation, especially as the two unlikely allies entered the main hanger. Hundreds of Stormtroopers and dozens of assault walkers were being loaded onto massive dropships, where they would link up with their fleets and head to Republic space.

"There's a lot more security than we expected." The invisible agent murmured. "Some of your illusions would help."

"Oh, I have a much better idea." Loki walked over to the nearest guards, putting on his best officer walk.

"Identify yourself." One Stormtrooper ordered, prepared to aim and fire his blaster at the new arrival if something went wrong.

"Is that how you address a superior officer?" Loki asked haughtily. "Let me see your ID chip, now."

"Uh... sir, I-"

"Now sergeant!" The soldier lost his nerve and did as requested. Loki looked it over with a very Imperial sneer. "Well then, TK-3435. Is this what you call guarding?"

"Sir?"

"Your job is to protect the transports, correct?" Loki got several affirmative nods. "Well then, why are you standing out here?" The God of Mischief heard an invisible face palm behind him, but he ignored it. The rest of the soldiers looked at each other in confusion.

"I don't follow-"

"If you're supposed to be guarding the transports, then obviously you need to be inside them. So get to it."

"But sir, this is highly irregular-"

"Now, sergeant." Hesitantly, the soldiers all began to file away, led by their very confused sergeant.

"I can't believe that actually worked." Jerbraz noted. "I thought their security would be more professional than this."

"I doubt they'll fall for the same trick twice." Loki replied. "In the meantime, I believe we had a job to do."

With a sigh, Jerbraz idly wondered how Axonn and Brutaka were doing.

...

"Why did I listen to you again?" Axonn groaned as their cover shook, before unleashing an electrical blast at a hovering gunship, bringing it down immediately.

"Why are you blaming me?" Brutaka unleashed a blast of power at the scout walker's legs, bringing it down on top of a pair of Storm Commandos. "This was your plan."

"You said that it would only be the Knights of Ren here." Axonn caught sight of another assailant sneaking up on them. "So far, there are no Knights, more Huntsmen and Huntresses instead, and an entire battalion."

"How was I supposed to know that they would swap training facilities? The Shadow Broker said they'd be here." His partner protested, then saw the Rainbow colored Faunus skating towards them. "So do you want that, or should I?"

Axonn responded by throwing his ax into Neon's path, the roller-skating Huntress attempted to duck underneath it, but wasn't fast enough before the blade caught her in the chest. Fortunately, her Aura kept her from getting cut in half, and was instead launched back into the training center's wall, draining her Aura and knocking her unconscious.

Her partner didn't take that well, unleashing a massive blast of sound that destroyed the cover the two Order members were hiding behind. Brutaka retaliated by firing an energy blast at him, knocking him back before sweeping the energy through a pair of Dark Troopers that came out of the base.

"Well, bad intel or not, we still have a job to do." Axonn said. "We can still bring down this base."

"Well, then we better get started." Brutaka watched as the Huntsman returned to his feet. "Preferably after dealing with this guy."

Flynt activated his Semblance, creating four soundwave creating clones that unleashed themselves upon the two Order members. Brutaka parried the streams of sound with his blade while Axonn retaliated in kind with an energy blast from his axe.

His Mask of Truth easily allowed him to know which clone was the true one, and Flynt was once again knocked on the ground. Before he could make a move to get up, Axonn's weapon was pinned against his neck.

"I'd stay down if I were you." The Order member said, pushing the blade closer to get his point across.

"Axonn, I'm going to need your help with this." Brutaka said, looking over the base itself.

"Right."

The former warlord punched Flynt in the face before he could react, shattering his Aura and knocking him out cold. He pulled ax back and walked over with it casually draped over his shoulder.

"You sure want me to do this?" He asked, approaching the main structure of the base.

"Eh, I'm good." Brutaka unleashed a blast of power at one of the entrances just as an assault walker emerged. "Someone has keep these guys off your back."

"Much appreciated." His partner snarked.

It was a testament to First Order engineering that the being who had once sliced through a mountain needed more than one strike to bring down the base's foundations, but three strikes later, the main structure had collapsed.

After the dust settled, the two Order members were the only people still standing, and could hear the squadron of TIE Fighters heading their way. "I think that's our cue to leave." Brutaka generated a portal with his mask, which enveloped the two before vanishing.

...

Teridax watched as the substances were moved to where they were supposed to go, feeling satisfied once they had finally got them working together. It had taken a significant amount of trial and error to get the Gravitonium, LightForce, DarkForce and Dust to actually work in relative harmony, but now they were and the readouts had shown just why he had insisted upon it.

"Extraordinary." The Monitor said. "If only my makers had access to these materials."

"Their loss is my gain." Teridax turned away from the control consoles. "What's the status on construction?"

"With the new additions, we can speed up the process," The Monitor floated to the Makuta. "but if you still insist on adding even more of this, then I can't guarantee that our current rate of progress will stay that way."

"Then it will take as long as it needs to." Teridax said. "I waited 80 millennia for the chance to strike at Mata Nui. If I must wait that same amount of time again, I will."

"Oh, it most certainly won't take that long." The Monitor cheerfully replied. "Even if my Installation was at 10% efficiency, we would still be able to finish this long before 80,000 years went by."

"Good." Teridax paused when a message appeared on the control console. "Continue as planned. I will return shortly."

And with those words, a portal appeared and enveloped him, before vanishing.

...

Voridus and Pavium had not been having a great day. By the orders of their new master, the two Brutes had left to track down the _Intention's Eye_ , to give an offer to Laccabeus. The Makuta had even granted them a ship, a modified Banished Lich upgraded with its own interdimensional drive, allowing them to go where they needed to.

It took quite a bit of digging through the Fringes of the multiverse, but eventually they found the carrier hiding in an asteroid field. Unfortunately, the _Eye_ had also noticed them and immediately captured their vessel, boarding the Lich and taking the two of them prisoner.

They had been taken to the brig where Laccabeus had been there waiting to interrogate the brothers, initially believing that Atriox had sent them as either an offer or an ultimatum. Pavium had quickly explained that they worked for someone else, but the Shipmaster had been skeptical, to say the least. Nonetheless, they had been able to convince Laccabeus to at least hear them out, and while intrigued, he had wanted a personal meeting with the Makuta.

"Forgive me if I don't just take you two at your word." The Shipmaster said. "But I would be remiss not to assume that you two are trying to lead me into a trap."

"Could you blame us?" Voridus snarled. "You abandoned the Banished when the Republic came for us, like a coward."

"Unlike Atriox, the safety of my crew is my priority." Laccabeus' eyes narrowed and his teeth barred. "I have no intention of throwing them into a fight they cannot win."

"We're not here to get into a moral debate." Pavium interrupted, shooting a glare at his brother. "We are just messengers. If you want to talk to the Makuta, then just use our comms."

And so Laccabeus did, sending a brief text message through the device that the two younger Jiralhanae had brought with them demanding to speak with their boss face to face. Laccabeus expected the response to be a time and place for a meeting, which he would shift to his own terms.

He hadn't expected a dimensional rift to open right in front of him and a fourteen foot tall black and red armored titan to step out. The portal closed, leaving Makuta to tower over Laccabeus while the guards took aim with their weapons.

A wave of Teridax's hand pulled all the weapons out of theirs, leaving the pair of Mgalekgolo at the rear of the room to respond. The two Hunters moved to attack, but a Stasis field had them frozen in their tracks.

"Shipmaster Laccabeus." The Makuta spoke, turning his gaze directly to the Jiralhanae in question. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

"You are the Makuta, then?" Laccabeus crossed his arms, attempting to keep some level of control over the situation. "Voridus and Pavium tell me you have an offer for me."

"One that you will accept." Teridax said simply. "Of that much, I am certain."

Laccabeus wanted to snap back and make a threat of his own, but a sudden sensation of fear had him holding his tongue. A quick glance at the rest of the Brutes in the room made it clear that they were feeling it too.

"What are you?"

"Your new patron." Makuta answered. "I can provide your ship and crew with resources, supplies, everything you desire." His red eyes narrowed. "Provided you do a few things for me."

The threat was left unspoken, but Laccabeus could hear it all the same. But as much as the Jiralhanae wanted to rail against this being, fear and the fact that he had effortlessly disarmed and disabled his soldiers kept him from saying that.

"What is your offer?" Makuta smiled and held out his hand, where the hologram of a planet appeared, one that Laccabeus knew quite well.

"I believe you're familiar with a world called Atmos."

...

Palpatine fumed at the aftermath reports, with the offensive not going remotely as planned. In particular, he recognized the tactics of Grand Admiral Thrawn being used against him, making the Sith Lord wish he had killed that alien a long time ago.

"Supreme Leader, our losses have been severe." General Hux reported. "The Republic defense fleets have taken their toll, and the few ground operations we've attempted have fallen silent. Furthermore, we are getting reports of yet more sabotage at many of our bases."

"Order our fleets to commit a tactical withdrawal." The Sith Lord replied, before shooting a glare at one of the nine-foot tall figures in the room. "I assume that at least is acceptable to your... father?"

The Rahkshi said nothing (not that the former Emperor actually expected it to), but it made no move to stop him, and so the order to at least regroup and plan their attack with a different strategy in mind, all the while Palpatine inwardly cursed the being that had sent them into this mess.

Still, there was no denying that the Makuta had been correct: even with their resources pooled with what was left of the Separatists, the Republic was not nearly the powerhouse it once was, given that the First Order had actually been able to get this far at all.

True, the upgrades the First Order had received from Lex Luthor and the Brain had been rather critical in increasing their survival, and the coordinates of key Republic planets given by Makuta allowed them to actually strike at the Republic directly, but even with those advantages, the Imperial successor state would've been mincemeat if the Republic was at its height.

Capitalizing on the superpower's weakness while they could was rather instrumental, but still much more difficult than the Supreme Leader would like. After all, at a fraction of their strength or not, the Republic was still armed with ships that could vaporize a planet with one blast from its main gun, among other esoteric advantages.

 _And to think, our galaxy once thought that destroying a planet was the pinnacle of superweapons_. Palpatine mused on that thought, wondering if that would tip the scales in their favor.

Unfortunately, the only superweapons that Palpatine could think of that approached the level of power needed were the Halos, which had all been destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the Tidal Wave. Further compounding matters was the fact that the Republic apparently still held control of their Foundry, which was yet another complication for the First Order.

The Sith Lord's musings were interrupted when an unexpected sound emerged from behind his throne. Standing up quickly, he looked towards the source of the distinct breathing noise, while he stretched out with his senses in the Force.

Darth Vader was walking into the room, pulling out his red lightsaber as he approached the spirit of his Master. A brief flash of anger and fear swept over the Sith Lord before he felt a sense of confusion: he couldn't sense any new presence in the room, and certainly not that of the former Anakin Skywalker.

Which could only mean one thing.

Palpatine hurled Sith Lightning at the familiar dark armor, the bolts simply passing right through the illusion. Seconds later, the image vanished, and Palpatine heard the sound of metal feet behind him.

"Bad memory?" The Sith turned to the Makuta, who had an arm resting on the back of his throne.

"You're back."

"And you are retreating." Teridax's eyes narrowed. "Why would that be?"

"Because we can't sustain this conflict against the Republic!" Palpatine snarled. "You say they have been weakened, and perhaps you are correct. But our only real advantage against them is overwhelming numbers, and we can't sustain such a strategy, especially not with their espionage against us!"

Makuta was silent for a long moment, and Palpatine was worried that his outburst would earn him another painful punishment. But just as his mind began to wander through all the potential consequences, Teridax spoke up.

"I have just what you need."

...

Teridax returned to his lair, walking past the containment tank that held a Rahi with the similar shape and size of a Thresher Maw. His new Rahi experiments were improving, and while he would certainly have his use for them, his focus had shifted to another frame of work.

It was clearly time to expand his forces a little more, throwing the Republic some unexpected obstacles in the process. He teleported to the prison and unlocked the stasis pods containing all the prisoners his Rahkshi had captured in their attack against the UNSC.

The Spartans had put up a good fight, but they were unprepared to deal with what powers his sons had to offer. Of course, their loyalty was another matter entirely, forcing him to make the same modifications he had made to the First Order helmets and had his Kraata to keep them under control.

Of course, this was but a temporary solution, and the knowledge of how the SPARTAN-IIs were trained provided some interesting ideas. Of course, he wouldn't bother with just kidnapping ordinary children but he did have other options.

 _For a later time, perhaps._ Teridax simply opened the pods and let the Spartans out. They stumbled briefly from the stasis, before their minds caught up with their bodies and found themselves under his will.

* * *

 **Alright, and this is where I'm going to cut off this chapter. We will see the continuation of Makuta's plan in the coming chapters, rest assured. It may take some time to get there, but it will, though I can't say when exactly.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	18. Interim

**And now we begin with the latest chapter. Quite a lot happened in the last one of course, and now we get to see even more of Teridax's machinations take shape. But let's dive in, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Bionicle, Halo, Mass Effect, Metroid or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch walked through the streets of the newly rebuilt Quarian city, simply observing all the work that had been done and all the people out and about, living relatively carefree lives.

She could scarcely believe how quickly they had recovered, especially when the Tidal Wave had only happened a few years ago. The fallout from that had not been the most pleasant.

When the Flood were annihilated, the Logic Plague had seemingly vanished with it, leaving the Geth free from the Gravemind's control. But the damage had been done, leaving mental and emotional damage on both sides. In response, the Geth had exiled themselves, ashamed of what they'd done while under the Logic Plague's thrall.

Despite Shepard's sudden appearance, the Geth refused to change their minds, and given how a large number of civilians and military personnel were once more calling for their extermination, it was ultimately for the best.

Speaking of Shepard's sudden appearance, he had requested to meet the Quarian leaders, which they had accepted. Tali was among the gathered Admirals present when Shepard had passed along the message from the Republic.

The offer to join the Republic had most certainly been a blessing, though quite a few had been rather hesitant upon meeting Mata Nui. But Tali's insistence was instrumental in getting the Quarian people to accept this offer, and with Shepard's own endorsement, the Quarians had joined up.

Almost immediately, the benefits could be noted, as the Republic dispatched repair drones and other support to help repair the damage wrought by the Tidal Wave. Of course, they didn't just hand over military hardware, but other revolutionary technologies were offered to the public sector.

The benefits had been incredible, though some of the more AI driven technology had made the Quarians leery. There was also some level of distrust for Mata Nui, a being that no one outside the Republic had known of before. It was a sentiment that Tali initially shared, though conversations with the former Great Spirit had her revising that opinion somewhat.

Nevertheless, things had been going quite well for the last couple of years, though the First Order going to war with the Republic had dampened much of the good mood that Tali might've had.

Fortunately, the fighting had yet to reach Rannoch, and the Republic wasn't asking the Quarian species as a whole to join in the war effort. There were already Quarians who had joined up with the Republic military, of course, but that was but a fraction of their species.

It was at that moment that the ground rumbled with the explosion at a nearby military base. Civilians around the area pointed at the sight in shock, with several of them screaming in terror at the fireball.

Tali, on the other hand, immediately started running and rushed toward the epicenter of the blast, pulling out her shotgun as she found dead bodies littering the ground and a massive hole in the guard walls.

The Quarian Admiral made her way through the debris soaked wall, the sound of a firefight echoing through the still burning base. Tali managed to pick her way through the wreckage until she came across the battle in question.

Her eyes widened behind her visor at what she saw: the surviving Quarian forces were engaged in conflict with a UNSC Spartan, who was gunning down the defenders with the lethality that was all but the trademark of the super soldiers.

One Engineer actually managed to disable his gun, but that only slowed the soldier down for a second as he hurled the dead weight at the offending Engineer's face, cracking his visor and sending him flying to the ground.

An energy drain removed the Spartan's shields, but he simply rolled away from the offending shots that followed and scooped up one of the fallen Quarian weapons, firing an Arc pistol with pinpoint accuracy and downing two more soldiers.

Tali had seen enough and immediately deployed her drone behind the Spartan, briefly staggering the super soldier with electric shocks. He quickly turned around and destroyed it, only for a bolt from Tali's Geth Plasma Shotgun to catch him in the back.

She didn't let up, and combined with the fire of the surviving soldiers, they were able to bring the Spartan to one knee, with blood pouring out of several wounds. Tali carefully approached, her gun and several others still trained on the Spartan.

"There's nowhere to go." She said calmly, with a touch of anger in her tone. "You will stand down and surrender now."

The Spartan turned to look at her and that's when Tali noticed two things: the first was that the Spartan's helmet had some oddly rusted patches on it, especially compared to the rest of his armor, and the second was that there was a crack in his visor that gave a clear view of the soldier's wide eye.

"Help... me..." The Spartan whispered. "It's in- it's in my mind!"

"What are you talking about?" That was all Tali had time to ask before something else appeared.

Two nine foot tall creatures carrying strange staffs were suddenly in front of the Spartan, hissing unnaturally as Tali stepped back in shock. The Quarian Admiral took aim again, but suddenly found herself being hurled away by a small cyclone that had just appeared out of nowhere.

The other Quarians were briefly tossed aside by the weather phenomenon as the other creature closed in on the kneeling Spartan. Before Tali's eyes, all three shimmered and faded away, leaving the cyclone to dissipate on its own.

Tali pushed herself off the ground and stared at the now empty sight in confusion. Nothing about this made any sense... but she did know who to call and ask. The other Quarian soldiers were recovering just as Tali approached.

"Orders, ma'am?" One Quarian asked as Tali turned to him.

"I need to contact the Republic, right now."

...

"We're getting those same reports from multiple sources." Thrawn reported. "Spartans launching terror strikes on our more recent additions to the Republic. Furthermore, all the Spartans we've identified are ones who went MIA when the UEG collapsed."

"And Admiral Tali'Zorah has confirmed what we've suspected." Mata Nui sighed. "These Spartans are under Makuta's control."

"It gets worse." Tahu started. "As soon as we're forced to send forces to the planets in question, the First Order has started up their offensive again."

"That's definitely not a coincidence." Luke frowned, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"No it isn't." Mata Nui shook his head. "We have to assume that Teridax has rather deep control over the First Order. There's been too much of a pattern from him not to."

"That's hardly comforting." Kiina noted. "He's already enough of a pain with his Rahkshi, Visorak and who knows what else."

"And even if we take down the First Order, that's really not going to change much for him." Helryx said, the memory of her conversation with Teridax in the Core Processor springing to mind.

 _"I have no allies. For I have no equals."_

"The armies and fleets of the First Order are all pawns to him, and Palpatine would be included in that."

"Maybe that's the key." Luke's eyes widened. "What if we turn Palpatine against Makuta?"

"It's certainly an interesting possibility." Thrawn admitted. "Assuming, of course, that Teridax hasn't already accounted for that."

"Perhaps we should focus on what Makuta's goal actually is." Coulson spoke up for the first time this meeting. "So far, he's retrieved Energized Protodermis, the DarkForce, LightForce and Gravitonium. And if he really is allied with the First Order, we can assume he has access to Dust as well."

"All rather unique and powerful substances." Nightwing agreed, looking over a makeshift list. "He's clearly collecting them for something."

"So all we have to do is figure out what unique power source or substance he's after next." Ackar sighed. "If only there weren't at least several hundred that could fit the bill scattered across the multiverse."

"It's the best lead we have right now." Mata Nui nodded. "If we can figure out what he's after, we can finally put an end to his plan."

...

Teridax watched from his lair as the multitude of feeds lit up the walls. He couldn't deny that the Spartans were impressive warriors; just watching their lethality through their perspective was proof enough of that.

Of course, even they wouldn't be able to deal with Republic forces directly, so instead, the former defenders of humanity were now using the same tactics as the enemy they were initially created to fight against.

Trying to match sabotage with sabotage obviously wouldn't work. The First Order attacks had already proven that the hard way. But terror attacks, especially among their most newest members, would force the Republic to deal with the aftermath of what had happened.

Unfortunately, there had been some complications, especially during the attack on Rannoch. He had nearly lost control of the Spartan in question, forcing his sons to bail the super soldier out.

But of course, that didn't even really qualify as a setback. The damage had still been done, which was just the distraction needed. And with the First Order back on the offensive, the Makuta was ready to move on to the next stage of his plan.

...

Samus walked through the stone ruins, carefully scanning everything around her. Her arm cannon at the ready, the ex-Bounty Hunter kept up her search, but with the exception of occasional wildlife, the place was abandoned.

Contacting her ship, Samus had it run through the scan again. The traces of Phazon were present, but much more faded. With a sigh, she lowered her arm cannon slightly, already knowing the truth: Salem and Dark Samus had been here but had left before she could find them.

This had already been a common enough pattern ever since her hunt continued. She would locate planets with a small Phazon signature, occasionally having to deal with the locals in the process, but once more finding her quarry gone before she could close in on them.

At this point, Samus was almost ready to just head back to her ship and stop wasting her time searching a cold trail here, but she knew from prior practice that taking a second look couldn't hurt.

She almost completely finished scanning the ruins when she noticed an oddity. She came across a collection of ruins, with strange damage marks to them. Running her Scan visor over the damage confirmed her suspicions; the sections were several thousand years older than the rest of the ruins. Which only led to one likely possibility.

"Voporak."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. I'll be honest guys, I was originally going to have this be part of a larger chapter with Teridax having a much bigger role, but it was getting too long, so I decided to split them up. Rest assured, we're going to be seeing that part in the next chapter.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	19. Tainted Spirits

**Alright, and so we shall begin the next chapter. As I said in the last chapter, this was originally going to be part of the next one, but I split it up for length and because it just felt more natural to start here. Anyway, let's head right in, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, Legend of Korra, or anything else that appears in this chapter.**

* * *

Jinora made her way through the center of Republic City, looking over the gathering of airbenders around the Spirit Portal. Despite her exhaustion as the sole airbending master now, she couldn't help but feel proud of seeing her father and grandfather's nation reborn.

 _I miss you, dad. I wish you were still here to see this._

Jinora was leading their normal airbending meditation sessions when she caught sight of someone flying in. It turned out to be Opal, which surprised the younger girl, especially when the Beifong daughter had requested the day off to spend time with Bolin.

"Hey, Jinora." The older airbender greeted. "Am I late?"

"Um, I guess not. But what are you doing here? I thought you were spending the day with Bolin?"

"Oh right." Opal shook her head. "Bolin got a last minute call, so... here I am."

"That's unfortunate." Jinora said. "Still, you didn't have to come if you didn't want to."

"It's fine." Opal waved her hand dismissively. "Might as well keep myself busy, right?"

"Well, alright. If that's what you want to do."

After a bit more small talk, Opal left to join the other airbenders, leaving Jinora to make her own rounds. Realizing that she had a bit of time to kill, she decided to check in on Bolin and see how he was doing.

Sitting in her meditation pose, Jinora sent her astral form out, using the Spirit Vines to locate the lavabender. Expecting to find him at work, she was surprised to locate him in his apartment, dressed in formal wear.

"AH!" Bolin shrunk away when he saw Jinora floating there before he composed himself. "Uh, hey Jinora. What's up?"

"I just wanted to check in." She looked around the apartment, noticing that what Opal had told her seemed to false. "Are you and Opal doing OK?" Jinora asked, which drew a confused look from Bolin.

"We're doing great." The lavabender raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well I thought she was spending the day with you." The Airbending master replied. "But she just arrived at the Spirit Portal."

"Huh?" Bolin turned to the bathroom door. "Hey Opal, are you still in there?"

"Of course." The Airbender emerged from the bathroom, wearing a rather beautiful dress. "Why wouldn't I be? Oh, hey Jinora."

"Jinora said you just arrived at the Spirit Portal in Republic City." Bolin explained.

"Huh?" The look of confusion was evident. "Well, I told you I was taking the day off."

"Then..." Jinora's face grew alarmed. "who just arrived here?"

The Airbending master cut off the astral projection before either could reply, and immediately raced towards the rest of the airbenders. It was Kai who she first ran into, her boyfriend immediately noticing her expression.

"Jinora, are you alright?"

"We need to find Opal," Jinora looked around the area, drawing the attention of the other airbenders. "Where did she go?"

"Last I checked, she was heading towards the Spirit Portal." Otaku offered, causing Jinora to launch herself into the air on her glider wings.

It didn't take long to spot who they were looking for, as the airbender was making her way towards the Spirit Portal, and indeed, was within line of sight of the rift. At Jinora's instruction, the rest of the airbenders had surrounded her, drawing a confused expression on Opal's face.

"Jinora? What's going on?" It certainly sounded and acted like the airbender in question. "Is something wrong?"

"You're not Opal."

Jinora expected a spluttering of denial or some other emotion, but instead a look of amused resignation appeared instead before 'her' appearance changed. It still looked like Opal's body, but her head had been replaced with a much more mechanical one, with a black and red mask as the face.

"You talked to the real Opal." The familiar soft, female voice had been replaced with a much deeper and colder male one. "Unfortunate."

"Who are you?"

"I am Makuta." The impostor said. "And you are in my way."

Jinora attempted to speak, but suddenly found herself choking. All the air in the vicinity had vanished, causing the airbenders to gasp at the lack of oxygen. They began to collapse, one by one, but a blast of lightning caused Teridax to cut off the Vacuum before they could suffocate to death.

The lightning had come from one of the former Earth Empire mechs, several of which now surrounded the Makuta alongside several other benders. Apparently, someone had made the call to the City's military, and given how often the Spirit Portal had suffered attacks, they had stationed a small force close at hand.

"You will surrender now." One of the mechs ordered, as more benders began forming up around the machines.

"No." Teridax gripped the mech that had spoken in a magnetic field. "I don't believe I will."

Heat vision bore straight through the cockpit and the pilot of the mech in question, before using it to crush several Benders beside it. He ignored the blasts of flame, water and stone that followed, instead focusing his attention on the rest of the mechs that took aim.

The mechs were completely crushed with magnetism, and the other benders found themselves at the mercy of the Spirit Vines. The Makuta had more difficulty controlling these plants, but Karzahni or the Morbuzakh they were not, and even their semi-sentient nature could not oppose his will.

The Makuta ignored the struggling benders as he approached the Portal itself. One metal bender managed to get loose enough to hurl a shard of metal at him, but Teridax didn't even glance in his direction as he magnetically halted and reversed its direction, his Accuracy power ensuring that the metal embedded itself in the man's throat.

Shifting into his Shadow Titan form as the man drowned in his own blood, Teridax entered the Portal and found himself in the Spirit World. The spirits watched in confusion and contempt as he emerged, with several spirits approaching the Makuta.

"Another of your kind?" One of them said. "Weren't the Toa Mahri enough?"

"Oh, I am nothing like the Toa Mahri."

Darkness began spreading through ground, corrupting the Spirit Wilds that it touched and causing the Spirits to draw back in alarm. Teridax began to laugh as his form shifted into something much larger.

...

Outside the Spirit Portal, the airbenders had managed to recover from their Vacuum induced unconsciousness, and sliced through the vines that were holding the other benders hostage.

Just as things were dying down, the sound of more vehicles approached. Asami and Korra flew in, riding the former's personal skimmer. Meanwhile, the sound of police sirens appeared as Mako made his way through the Spirit Wilds.

"Is everyone alright?" Korra asked, wincing as she saw the bodies.

"Those who are left." Jinora said sadly. "How'd you guys know what was going on?"

"Bolin and Opal called." Asami explained.

"They said something was wrong at the Spirit Portal." Korra continued. "We came as fast as we could."

"We might already be too late." Mako had exited the car and could only point at the portal as it began to change.

The Portal's colors went from yellow and green to red and black. Dark clouds appeared over the city as a vortex began to surround the portal, with arcs of lightning occasionally appearing.

Teridax's cruel laughter heralded his red eyes appearing in the middle of the Vortex around the portal, which was then followed by several Dark Spirits emerging from the portal itself.

"Well, well, well, the Avatar herself has come." Teridax's eyes turned to Korra. "The bridge between humans and spirits. From what I can tell, you're not doing a good job."

Without warning, a bolt of lightning emerged from the vortex and flew at Korra, who airdodged and back flipped away from it. The rest of Team Avatar found themselves besieged by Dark Spirits, leaving the Avatar to fight the shapeless Makuta alone.

She hurled a large blast of fire followed by a barrage of large rocks from the ground at the vortex, but with how little effect it had, she needn't have bothered. Teridax merely laughed at the ineffectual barrage.

"Come. Join me."

A tendril of black and red energy emerged from the portal, ending in a four fingered hand that stretched out, reaching for her. Korra narrowly avoided it, but one of the air bison, spooked by all the fighting, wasn't so lucky. His Shadow Hand retracted, dragging the struggling Bison into Teridax's mass.

"How are we supposed to beat this guy?" Mako asked, trying and failing to fight off a Spirit.

"We need the Republic's help." Korra launched herself in the air to avoid a blast of Shadow. "Please tell me our message went through."

"They said they're sending some old friends." Asami replied. "We just need to hold out until then."

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long as a dimensional rift appeared and five familiar figures emerged. The Toa Mahri immediately began aiding the defenders, their elemental powers aiding in pushing the Spirits back.

"Makuta!" Jaller shouted as he approached the portal. "This ends now!"

"Ah, the Toa Mahri." Teridax's mocking voice filled the air. "You couldn't stop me in Mahri Nui, and you won't stop me now."

Streams of fire, water, and air unleashed themselves upon the portal, while Hewkii and Nuparu combined their energies to create an explosion of Earth and Stone underneath the portal.

But what might have hurt Teridax in the past during the battle with the Toa Mata clearly wasn't working now. The portal instead unleashed a blast of chain lightning, catching all five Toa and sending them flying back.

"Well, that was unpleasant." Kongu groaned, before creating a cyclone that disoriented a Dark Spirit.

"Haven't you guys fought him before?" Asami asked.

"Not exactly." Nuparu dodged another blast of Shadow before intercepting a plasma blast with a mound of earth. "We've never really fought him at his full power."

"Well you do know others who have." Mako pointed out. "How are we supposed to beat him?"

"I'm not sure." Jaller admitted. "This kind of power is new. We've definitely never seen him like this."

"Frankly, it's kind of amazing that we're all not dead already." Hewkii added. "But how is he doing this?"

"He's drawing the energy from the Spirit World." Jinora flew over the battlefield as she spoke. "Corrupting and changing it to his own ends."

"So either that power is messing with his head," Jaller started. "or he's so arrogant that he doesn't consider any of us to be a threat."

"Well that would definitely sound like the Makuta we know." Kongu said.

"You are aware that I can hear you, right?"

Teridax increased the gravity tenfold around the portal, forcing everyone to their knees. Fortunately, Hewkii countered that effect with his Garai, allowing the Toa and Benders to get free just before they were stuck by energy blasts.

"If he's corrupting the Spirit World, then maybe I can purify it." Korra narrowed her eyes as she looked over the massive vortex. "But I'm going to need a lot of water for that."

"One wall of water, coming right up." Hahli raised her arms and soon a large wave of water had appeared in the center of the Spirit wilds.

While everyone else kept the Makuta distracted, Korra took control of the water, which glowed yellow as it weaved its way around the rift. The Spiritually charged water had the effect Korra was hoping for, dispelling the Shadow vortex and causing Teridax to roar out in pain.

"It's not over yet." Jaller leapt and landed near Korra. "Teridax has survived far worse."

"Then we're going in."

...

In the Foggy Swamp, a small army of Rahkshi were busy carrying out their Master's commands. Rahkshi of Plant Control forced the Vines to cooperate while other variants began slicing through and gathering the materials up.

Heat Vision and Laser Vision Rahkshi were used to great effect in that regard, effortlessly carving through the Spirit wild flora. The Vines and roots wanted to strike back, but the power of Plant Control compelled them otherwise.

The operation was going smoothly, until one Rahkshi was abruptly crushed by a massive boulder. His brothers turned and hissed at the sudden death of their brother, immediately searching for the source. It didn't take long for them to locate the old blind lady, who wasn't even bothering to look in their direction as she pointed at them.

"I don't think you're supposed to be here." Toph said, as a small number of the creatures detached from their work site and leapt down around her.

A Rahkshi of Fragmentation fired a blast at the first Metalbender, who casually created a barrier to intercept it, the stone shattering upon contact while Toph didn't even flinch. She retaliated by creating a pair of Stone walls and crushing them together, catching only two Rahkshi before the walls were destroyed.

In response, a green armored Rahkshi stabbed the ground, causing sickly green liquid to emerge. Poison flowed through the ground and plants, the pool spreading towards Toph, who created a platform of Earth to escape the toxin. Unfortunately, this just made her more vulnerable.

She called up a small stone barrier as another fragmentation blast flew towards her, but this one was too close and the rock wasn't thick enough, launching her off the pillar. Thankfully, she landed just out of range of the Poison, and retaliated in kind with another rock.

The Rahkshi smashed the boulder to pieces, but a barrage knocked the shattering and Poison variants away. Unfortunately, a blue armored Rahkshi managed to avoid that barrage and landed next to her, jamming its staff into the ground as she sent a wave of Earth to try and disrupt it.

The ground beneath her feet abruptly disintegrated as a crevice formed from where the blue Rahkshi had impaled its staff into the ground. Grabbing the side of the crevice, she launched herself out the pit, managing to dodge an energy blast that flew right past her ear.

At this point, Toph knew that these things were far more dangerous than any Benders she had ever faced before. In her younger years, she might've welcomed the challenge, but at her age, she needed to end this fight quickly.

That was when she realized just what she had to do. Acting to avoid the Rahkshi's attack, she launched an attack directly at one of the creatures controlling the Spirit Vines, breaking its concentration and knocking its staff out of its hands.

The effect was almost immediate: having been forced to let themselves be vandalized and cut apart, the Vines reacted to the presence of the Rahkshi with brutal force, retaliating by crushing several of the creatures inside their armor.

Forced to defend themselves, the Makuta sons found themselves caught in a crossfire between the Vines, and the greatest Earthbender in the world, who was quick to target any other Plant Control Rahkshi before they could reassert control.

Soon, the Rahkshi were forced to retreat, their grievous losses too much for them to sustain. Unfortunately, they had already escaped with a large amount of Spirit Vines before Toph could stop them.

...

Korra and the Toa Mahri entered the Spirit World, finding the normally lush and pleasant world as a dark and desolate landscape, not unlike Vaatu's time controlling it. But of the Makuta responsible, there was no sign.

"Where did he go?" Korra asked.

"He has to be here somewhere." Jaller activated his Mask power, and sure enough, he detected something near a forest of dead trees. "I'm detecting something over there."

The six of them moved cautiously towards the forest (which idly reminded the Toa of Fire of the Charred Forest on the island of Mata Nui), and as soon as they entered, a chill swept through the air, with Korra instinctively conjuring a flame to battle the icy cold air.

"How brave." Korra got into a combat stance, while the Toa Mahri readied their weapons, their Cordak blasters poised to aim, but they couldn't locate the source of the Makuta's voice. "The defenders of the world, fighting so valiantly against the dark." Shadows began creeping in around them. "Even when the light inevitably dies."

"You were beaten before, and you will be again!" Hahli shouted.

"Not likely."

A blast of chain lightning emerged from the trees and struck all five of the Toa Mahri, the amplified effect from the Spirit World enough to knock all of them out. Korra immediately sent a blast of fire at the source, but it struck nothing.

"Of course, you don't have to share their fate, Avatar." Korra turned to see a pair of large red eyes in the Darkness. "Join me, and you will know power beyond imagining."

"You think I would join you?" Korra growled. "Just like that?"

"I can see the darkness inside you." A wave of fear crashed into Korra as she took a step back. "The Avatar solely remembered for her failures." Suddenly, illusions of her past defeats appeared around her; getting her bending take by Amon, watching her past lives be destroyed, being poisoned by Zaheer, her defeat at Kuvira's hands outside Zaofu and the attacks by the Flood. "Stand with me, and your destiny will be remembered forever."

"I'll pass." Powering through the Makuta's fear, she unleashed a blast of air that dispelled the illusions. "I'm not interested in the offers of a monster."

"Then accept your doom."

A hand of Shadow attempted to grab her, but Korra's eyes began glowing as a sphere of air, fire, water and earth appeared around her, dispelling the black-red tendril and dissipating the darkness, leaving Teridax's true form visible.

"No!"

Makuta could do nothing as the Spirit energy refused to obey his commands, while Korra floated in midair, surrounded by all the elements. Meanwhile, the Toa Mahri awoke to see the sight of the Shadows vanishing, and when Teridax attempted to attack the vulnerable Avatar, they retaliated with their own elemental powers. Teridax sent them all flying with a wave of gravity, but it was already too late.

With her power amplified by the energies within the Spirit World, the Avatar let loose a wave of energy that purified the surrounding region, removing all traces of the darkness. The cleansing effect spread beyond the Spirit World, freeing the corrupted spirits from Makuta's shadow.

"You may have control over darkness, Makuta." Korra and Raava spoke as one. "But you will always flee from the light."

The purified spirit energy unleashed itself against the Makuta, the raw power blasting him out of the Spirit Portal and into the crowd of benders surrounding the Portal, all of whom were quick to take up positions around him instead. Korra and the Toa Mahri were quick to follow from the portal, the latter with their weapons pointed at their old enemy.

"You've lost, Makuta."

"Have I?"

Abruptly the Spirit Vines around them came to life, wrapping themselves around the humans and Toa, binding and crushing them in their grip. The Toa Mahri were the first to break free, the fact that they had bladed weapons gave them that advantage, but Teridax had already recovered when they did.

"I already have what I need."

With those words, a portal appeared under Teridax and he fell through before anyone could stop him.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. It's fairly abrupt, I know, but I just kinda ran out of steam towards the end. Still, this chapter was fairly important, especially considering he got what he wanted: Spirit Vines, like the ones used for the Earth Empire Colossus cannon.**

 **Anyway, with that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	20. Op Prep

**Alright, and it's time to begin the next chapter. This one will be a bit different from the norm, focusing more on the Republic side of things, as well as being a bit of a slice of life style chapter. Rest assured, the plot will still continue, but in a more unexpected manner.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, the MCU, Star Wars, Legend of Korra, Mass Effect, Young Justice or anything else that appears in this chapter.**

* * *

After freeing everyone else from the Spirit Vines, there was quite a bit of a mess to clean up around the Spirit Portal. Team Avatar and the Toa Mahri did what they could to help, before they were called away to make a report to Republic High Command.

In a private area, Jaller and Korra were now standing before a hologram of Mata Nui, Thrawn and Helryx, who had just finished dealing with the First Order's latest attempt at an offensive when they found out about Teridax's appearance.

"Do we have any idea what he was after?" Mata Nui asked.

"He was definitely here for something." Korra said.

"But I doubt it was solely to take over the Spirit World." Jaller continued. "This all feels too much like a distraction."

"More than you realize." Everyone turned as Bolin and Opal ran towards them, both looking rather worried.

"What do you mean?" The Avatar asked.

"I just spoke with Grandma Toph." Opal explained. "She said that she fought creatures in the Foggy Swamp. From what she said, they match the appearance of Rahkshi, and they were after the Spirit Vines."

"And they attacked at the same time Makuta was in the Spirit World?" After they nodded in confirmation, Thrawn's eyes narrowed. "Then you're correct, Toa Jaller. This was naught but a distraction."

"The more alarming aspect was how it was perfectly timed with the First Order's offensive." Helryx scowled. "It can't be a coincidence."

"No, it's not." Mata Nui sighed. "Avatar Korra, Toa Jaller, thank you for informing us of these events."

"What are your orders?"

"As soon as you can, I want the Toa Mahri redeployed." The Great Spirit shook his head. "While we cannot ignore Teridax's actions, the First Order is still pressing in on our borders. We need to counterattack where it hurts."

"What about our world?" Korra crossed her arms. "If Makuta was so easily able to infiltrate here, he could surely do it again."

"We are working on that." Helryx said. "In the meantime, we'd like to request that you and your team make a brief stop at the Ark for a more formal briefing. It's time we deal with Makuta once and for all."

...

 _Spider-Man swung through the streets of New York, many of the building either on fire or piles of rubble. Visorak combed through the debris, webbing up any survivors while Rahkshi flew overhead. Some part of Peter's waking mind knew that this wasn't real, but he couldn't break free of this nightmare._

 _This was what would've happened if the Defenders hadn't save him in time. If the Makuta had gotten his claws on him. He was trapped, a prisoner inside his own mind while his body was forced to do unspeakable things._

 _And now he could see the fruits of that failure. The Avengers lay broken and bleeding on the street below, with Tony's armor shattered and the man himself wrapped up in a Visorak cocoon. Vision was in several pieces, Thor was bleeding profusely, and the bodies of Scarlet Witch and Black Widow were just staring lifelessly into the sky._

 _Spider-Man barely spared them a glance as he swung past, before swinging up in a long arc and landing on top of the remains of Avengers tower, where Teridax stood waiting._

 _"You have done well, young one." The Master of Shadows chuckled. "Your aid has proven instrumental in conquering your world. Now, there is one last thing you need to do."_

 _Suddenly a figure appeared in front of him, bound in Visorak webbing. May Parker looked at her nephew, her expression a mixture of horror and sadness. "Peter-" A wave of Teridax's hand silenced her._

 _"Kill her."_

 _Against his will, Peter's body obeyed, grasping his aunt by the neck and dragging her over to the edge, holding her with an outstretched hand over the multi-story drop. Every instinct in his mind screamed at Peter not to do this, but he could only watch helplessly at his body moving on its own accord._

 _"Peter, please! Don't do this!" That was the last thing she said before Spider-Man dropped her. Her screams echoed the whole way down before coming to an abrupt end._

Peter woke from the nightmare, breathing heavily as he tried to remove that last image from his mind. Idly, he noted the sunlight streaming through the gap in his curtains, warming the room, which when combined with the warm form of the girl next to him, slightly eased the icy pit in his gut.

"You alright?" The voice came from the figure lying beside him, her arm gently draped over his chest while her hand caressed his hip.

"I'm fine." He turned his head to look at MJ, and one glance from her made it clear that she didn't believe him. "Just a nightmare."

"Was it the Flood again?" MJ asked. Peter shook his head, causing her to nod in understanding. "So... Makuta?"

"Yeah." Peter ran his hand over his face. "Guess I'm just trading one nightmare for another." His attempt at levity sounded feeble even to him.

Without another word, MJ shifted herself and pulled him into a hug. Peter's arms instinctively wrapped around her waist and held her close, shutting his eyes to keep any tears from leaking out.

It wasn't the first time he had that nightmare, ever since those Rahkshi had tried to take him. It wasn't always the same; sometimes it was Ned or MJ or Tony who was the one Peter would kill, but the end result was always the same.

"That's not you." MJ whispered, the words reaching directly into his ear. "It will never be you."

Peter silently nodded against her shoulder, and let himself get lost in her embrace. After a while, MJ pulled back slightly and tenderly kissed him. He reciprocated and pulled her close again, the icy pit all but gone now.

They broke apart to breathe, and now Peter could see the fire in her eyes, a feeling that was undoubtedly mirrored in his own. Before their lips could connect again, Peter's phone rang on the bedside table, causing them both to groan.

"Of course it is." Peter sighed, dis-tangling himself from MJ as he stretched over to reach the phone. "And on a Saturday too."

"What is it?"

"An Avengers meeting." Peter sighed again. "Apparently, we're going to go to a conference on the Ark."

"Isn't the Ark that space station outside one version of the Milky Way?" His girlfriend asked. "The one that's like ten times bigger than Earth?"

"That would be it." Spider-Man shook his head. "I think I could bring you along, but I'm not sure we'd get much time together before they call me away."

"More bureaucratic bullshit." MJ groaned. "Did they say why? And more importantly, why _you_ need to go?" She held back a pout, but only just. It was supposed to be their day off, after all.

"No, but it must be important." Peter shook his head. "As much as I'd like to, I can't blow this off."

"I know." Michelle sighed again. "When do you have to go?" Peter looked to the clock on the bedside table.

"About two hours from now."

"So..." MJ shifted herself above and straddled him, a sultry smirk on her lips. "that means we have some time to kill."

"I guess we do." His smile matched her own. Running one hand down her thigh, his other hand cupped her cheek as Peter kissed her.

...

Liara sat in her office, the viewport to the side revealing a gorgeous view of Installation 00. She paid it little mind as she continued to work, Glyph helping to sort through most of the data as she cataloged what she had to.

Ever since the Tidal Wave, her role as the Shadow Broker had taken a backseat as she was brought into Republic Intelligence full time at Mata Nui's request. While she wasn't the head of that organization, she was certainly high up in the food chain, allowing her to get a grasp on quite a few details about the Republic that many people would sell their soul to know.

While a significant chunk of her time was now dedicated to the war with the First Order, she was also spending some time cataloging and researching things within the Republic, looking at quite a few patterns that had emerged.

For instance, integration of the surviving Separatists into the Republic had gone surprisingly smoothly, with only a few wrinkles here and there. Lex Luthor and the Brain had been the biggest problems, but their capture had managed to keep things from being far worse.

Then again, while the Republic had taken severe losses to their territory and people, the Separatists had been almost completely wiped out in the Tidal Wave, meaning there were far fewer individuals likely to cause problems.

Speaking of which, a noticeable trend currently among the Republic civilians and soldiers alike was the fact that very few people were sleeping. This wasn't too much out of the ordinary for the people of the superpower, as medical advances had long since made it so that there was no longer any physiological need to sleep.

However, while the physical need for sleep was gone, the psychological need was not, and it was heavily recommended by doctors that sleep was still something to strive for to rest their minds. Of course, a quick survey had revealed why people were avoiding that: nightmares about the Flood were still common, and even worse in the wake of the Tidal Wave.

There were a lot of psychologists working on that of course, but it wasn't an easy process. Still, this wasn't exactly uncommon among the rest of the multiverse either. Even several years after the Tidal Wave, the Flood had left their scars, in more ways than one.

"Liara?" A voice snapped the Asari doctor out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see her lover standing in front of her.

"Shepard." She greeted quickly. "It's good to see you."

"You too." The Commander said, his eyebrow raised. "Everything alright? I was trying to get your attention for about a minute."

"My apologies." She pinched her nose and rubbed her eyes. "Things have been... busy."

"I can come back if you want-"

"No, no." Liara stood up and captured his lips with a brief kiss. "It's good to see you."

"You too." He glanced around at all the terminals in the room, all of which were active. "You've clearly got a lot on your plate."

"Yes." She shook her head. "I'll be done in a few minutes. In the meantime, feel free to take a look around."

So Shepard did, looking through a few of the files that weren't classified while Liara worked. Most of it was admittedly fairly dull to read or things he had already known, but there was one file that most certainly caught Shepard's eye.

"A dossier on Teridax?" Shepard asked.

"I thought it would be wise to keep track of the beings who could take him on." Liara replied. "I've already forwarded a list to Republic High Command."

While none of the Normandy crew had yet to have the displeasure of meeting the Makuta, they had all been made aware of his existence. And the fact that he was a shapeshifting telepath with a plethora of other powers certainly hadn't been comforting to learn, especially with an indestructible body.

Shepard's worry wasn't exactly eased when he read the rather short list of individuals who might be able to take on the Makuta alone, especially with the notation that keeping him in one place long enough to really hurt him wasn't going to be easy.

...

Mata Nui

Due to the former Great Spirit now wielding a combination of all elemental powers except for Light and Shadow, it is quite likely for Mata Nui to imprison the Makuta in a Toa Seal. Furthermore, Mata Nui's connection to the Mask of Life would likely bypass Teridax's armor and strike his energy directly, leaving it quite likely that sufficient use of the mask would kill him.

Teridax appears to be well aware of this vulnerability, which is likely why he had been sure to avoid being anywhere near Mata Nui.

Samus Aran

Samus' current suit would be completely immune to Makuta's Gravity and Magnetism powers, making her one of the best people to fight him. Preliminary testing also shows that some of her weaponry may be able to bypass his armor. But it is her latent Metroid powers that could truly hurt him, draining the life force out of him.

It is recommended that Samus be assigned to track down Teridax once her current mission is complete.

Ghost Rider

The Spirit of Vengeance's previously shown capabilities make it quite likely that he could effect Teridax's spirit directly, bypassing his armor in the process. Unfortunately, we have limited information available due to the Ghost Rider's tendency to stay in its own dimension.

...

"Looks like you've done a lot of research." Shepard noted.

"It comes with the territory." Liara sighed. "Though it does get exhausting at times."

"I'll bet." He put the datapad down and walked up behind her chair, gently wrapping his arms around her waist. "Which is why it's always good to take a break." Liara turned her head and kissed him, smiling softly.

"Perhaps I have been working too hard." She admitted. "I assume the others have their own time off?"

"It's just you and me."

...

Elsewhere on the Ark, a large chamber had been re-purposed into a makeshift auditorium, of which quite a few colorful individuals were gathered. Representatives of the Avengers, SHIELD, the Justice League and Young Justice team were present, along with several members of the Order of Mata Nui, a few Toa, Artakha himself, Team Avatar, the Storm Hawks, a couple Jedi with Luke Skywalker and a number of Republic soldiers. Toa Helryx was on the stage, explaining why they had all been asked to come here.

"It's quite simple." Helryx explained before the gathered crowd of superheroes and other warriors. "Makuta Teridax currently poses the greatest threat to peace and stability in the multiverse. This operation aims to capture, and should it prove necessary, eliminate him."

There were a number of uncomfortable murmurs at the mention of 'eliminate,' particularly from the heroes of Earth-16. Nevertheless, they kept silent for the moment, letting the leader of the Order of Mata Nui speak.

"I'm not going to lie, this will not be an easy task." The Toa of Water continued. "The Makuta's powers alone make him difficult to pin down, and he's smart enough to spot any trap that's far too obvious."

"Couldn't we just breach his armor and create a container for his antidermis?" Superman asked.

"That would be easier said than done." Tony hesitantly admitted.

"Yes, it seems we did our jobs a little too well." Artakha agreed. "The material we created, once properly treated, is all but completely indestructible. You could leave it in the heart of a star for millennia and it would be completely unscathed."

"Stopping him isn't the only problem, though. In fact that's kind of the easy part." Fury pointed out. "We have no idea where he'll even strike next."

"We might have a way to start." Luke interjected. "Our power over the Force could let us divine the future and figure out where he'll go next. But we're going to need some help."

"So, here's what we're going to do..."

...

Spider-Man shook off the feeling of vertigo as he stepped through the portal. Slipspace travel wasn't the most pleasant for first timers and with his senses, it had been even worse for him. He managed to get somewhat used to it, but there was still a tinge of unpleasantness every time he used it.

The meeting had ended a few minutes ago, and the subject matter was still in his head. It was a big operation, and while he would only be playing a small role, he felt both honored at being part of something like this, and nervous about potentially screwing it all up, even if it was merely from being held back in reserve.

A part of him felt rather annoyed at being sidelined through this, but the more rational part of his mind realized the necessity of it: too many people at once could make the operation even harder, and if they were called in, well, it would be clear that shit had hit the fan.

To get his mind off that, Peter decided to head to the nearby cafeteria, telling the rest of the Avengers that he would catch up with them later. While in the cafeteria, he caught sight of two of the Earth-16 heroes and overheard them say something about babysitting, before one picked up the other and took off at super speed.

"Mind if we sit here?" Peter turned to see five of the people that had been in the meeting, the ones he had heard were called the Storm Hawks.

"Feel free." The Storm Hawks did, allowing Peter to get a better look at the five. He was somewhat surprised to realize that he was actually older than most of them. "That was some meeting, huh." Though Peter still wasn't the most socially graceful.

"I'll say." The red headed leader of the squadron agreed. "I don't think we've been properly introduced; I'm Aerrow." He briefly made introductions regarding the rest of his team: Piper, Finn, Junko, Stork and his co-pilot Radarr, who Peter had admittedly mistaken for some sort of pet. "And you are?"

"Call me Spider-Man."

"Dude, seriously?" Finn raised an eyebrow. "You're kinda taking that secret identity thing a little too seriously."

"It's a force of habit."

"And a good one to have." Peter turned to see another hero from Earth-16, this one clad in black bodysuit with a stylized blue bird across his chest and a domino mask over his face. "In our line of work, it's better to keep your identity hidden." The Storm Hawks had noticeably jumped when the new arrival appeared, but Peter already knew the man, or at least, his codename.

"Hey Nightwing." The younger hero greeted. "It's been a while."

"Good to see you again, Spider-Man." Nightwing took a seat at the table. "How's college going?"

"Pretty good." Peter didn't even bother asking how the older hero had known he was in college. "A bit challenging with that and everything else, but I've been doing pretty well."

"I take it you guys know each other." Piper interjected. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you two from different Earths?"

"We had a bit of an... exchange program after the Tidal Wave." There was a minor wince from everyone at the reminder, but Nightwing powered on. "Spider-Man here came to our world for a couple days for a bit of training."

"'Training' he says." Peter grumbled. "Is that what you call 'getting our asses handed to us by Samus?'"

"It's certainly insightful." Nightwing countered. "She's one of the Republic's most dangerous warriors for a reason."

"Sounds like fun." Finn snarked. "I can't say I'm disappointed we missed that."

"You can do a lot worse." The gathering at the table turned to find Korra and Asami standing next to the table. "Mind if we join you guys?"

"Not at all." Junko spoke for the Storm Hawks, as they made room for them, allowing the Avatar and Future Industries CEO to take a seat. Introductions were made again, with Nightwing and Spider-Man being officially introduced to the two newcomers.

"So, if I may?" Nightwing interjected. "How could these guys," He gestured to the Storm Hawks again. "do a lot worse?"

"Well they haven't had to fight a Toa team during training." Korra replied, as she and Asami winced. "Being beaten 25 times in a row is not a fun experience."

"Ouch." Aerrow gave a sympathetic look while Piper grew curious.

"To be fair, they've got thousands of years of experience."

"That's what they said." Asami sighed. "Still, it's better than having to fight the Ghost Rider." A sentiment Korra agreed with as she nodded.

"The Ghost Rider?" Stork drew back at the name, while the other Storm Hawks gave a curious look.

"Wait, the guy with the flaming skull?" Peter's mask lenses widened, causing the Sky Knight squadron to look at him in surprise. "When did you have to fight him?! Follow up question: how are you still alive?"

"Now that's a long story." Korra shook her head.

"I don't know about you guys," Nightwing said. "but I've got time."

The next hour went by surprisingly quickly as the discussion went on. Heroes from four different universes, sharing the experience they had all gained from their own lives, drawing in some off-duty Republic soldiers who stopped by to hear the stories.

All in all, Peter found that he had quite enjoyed himself, and was rather disappointed when their time together came to an end. Still, it had helped keep his mind off of what they were going to do, and it had clearly had a similar effect for the others.

The gathering separated into four groups, each ready to accomplish what they had to do next. But before that happened, Peter still had a promise to keep, as he returned to the familiar sights of New York and immediately dialed up MJ.

...

Despite their fun pit stop before leaving the Ark, when the Condor returned to Atmos, the crew was in a surprisingly morose mood. None of the Storm Hawks had been happy with what the Republic had been asking, Aerrow and Piper especially. Both felt that it was far too similar to Cyclonis' actions in the past.

Nevertheless, the Sky Knight squadron had given their reluctant agreement to the plan, and were on their way back to the Forbidden City in order to do what was needed. But their plan of action was waylaid by the appearance of a slipspace rupture.

A shadow passed overhead as an uncomfortably familiar object appeared miles above the Condor. The Storm Hawks gazed up at the sight of a CAS-class assault carrier hovering above them, with Finn breaking the silence first.

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

...

Miranda Lawson walked through the halls of the apartment building, barely sparing a glance at the Illium skyline as she passed by the window. Despite her precautions, the ex-Cerberus agent refused to let her guard down until she was outside the door to the apartment in question, where her sister lived.

Ever since the Tidal Wave, Miranda had focused all of her efforts on keeping Oriana safe, especially with the multiverse in such turmoil. The galaxy of the Force was hardly the most welcoming place anymore with the First Order in charge of everything, and she hadn't exactly been all that trusting of the Republic, despite Shepard's recommendation.

Fortunately, Miranda still had her own connections, and was able to make use of them to keep her sister safe. Now though, it was one of the rare times where Miranda actually had a chance to be a sister to Oriana, which was why she was here.

Opening the door, Miranda's hand immediately pulled out her sidearm as she carefully looked around. The tossed around furniture and broken light fixtures were already proof enough that something was wrong, but the sound of Oriana struggling with someone confirmed it.

Miranda turned the corner to the living room, finding herself face to face with Oriana and... Henry Lawson. As her mind reeled at the sight of her dead father, the man in question took aim at her with his pistol while holding Oriana in front of him, an almost exact mirror of their confrontation on Sanctuary.

"Miri!" That was all Oriana could say before her father's arm tightened around her neck.

"Well, well, well." Henry chuckled. "If it isn't the prodigal failure."

"How...?" Miranda's aim was shaky as she stared into the eyes of a ghost. "How the bloody hell are you alive? I watched you die on Sanctuary!"

"And you never bothered to confirm the kill." Henry laughed. "That was sloppy of you."

"Let her go." Miranda's voice became low and very cold. "Right now."

"Oh I don't think so." Henry put his gun to Oriana's head. "You see, it's become clear that you both were a mistake. One I intend to correct."

"No," Miranda realized what was about to happen. "DON'T-!"

A single gunshot rang out and Oriana's head exploded, splattering blood and viscera over the walls and floor. Miranda's ears were ringing as she responded by unloading her whole clip into Henry's body, riddling him with bullets and sending his blood all over the walls, mixing with her sister's.

Henry collapsed to the ground, unmoving as blood pooled under him. Miranda barely noticed as she tossed her weapon aside and rushed to Oriana, tears streaming from her eyes. One glance was all it took for Miranda to know her sister was dead.

"Ori," She couldn't keep herself as the tears freely flowed from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Her hand reached for her sister's, but Miranda blinked in confusion as the appendage passed right through her sister's. Suddenly, Oriana faded away, as did all the blood and her father's body. In a second, the only clue that any confrontation had happened were the still smoking bullet holes in the wall.

"That was quite the scene." Miranda turned to the source of the sudden voice, a dark and grating sound to her senses. She found the source sitting in a chair. "I must admit, it was quite revealing."

The being was a black and red armored titan, with a strange mask functioning as its face. The being stood up from the chair with mechanical sounds, demonstrating its height over the ex-Cerberus operative.

"Hello, Miss Lawson." Teridax said. "It's nice to finally meet you." The Makuta walked towards her. "I must admit, for someone who declined to join the Republic, you were rather difficult to find."

Miranda made to dive for her weapon, but it abruptly flew into Teridax's hand, where he effortlessly crushed it in his fist. The biotic responded with a warp bolt, but it had absolutely no effect on the Makuta's armor, who's mask merely raised an eyebrow.

"Play nice." An abrupt change of gravity hurled Miranda into the wall and metal bonds wrapping themselves around her kept her there. "I'm the only one who knows where your sister is, after all."

"What have you done with Oriana?"

"She will be safe." Teridax's eyes narrowed. "As long as you do what I say."

"Do you really think I would follow the whims of you, monster?" Miranda spat. "I know who you are, Makuta."

"I'm sorry, you seem to be under the impression that you have a choice in the matter." Teridax's eyes narrowed. "You will do what I say, and in return, you won't have to watch your sister suffer horribly." Suddenly, a portal appeared and her sister was thrown through, wrapped in chains and gagged. "Or I can just kill you both now."

Oriana tried to speak through the gag, tears streaming down her eyes. "It's going to be alright, Ori." Miranda said as soothingly as she could with the tears still in her eyes. "I promise."

"You really shouldn't make promises you can't keep." Lightning shot forth from Teridax's hand, impacting the younger Lawson in the back and causing her to scream in agony.

"Enough!" Miranda shouted. "I will not let you hurt her."

"There's a very simple way to end her suffering." Makuta said casually. "Submit to my will, and she lives."

"Very well." The ex-Cerberus operative agreed, her glare almost potent enough to melt metal. "I will... I will serve you."

"I knew you'd see reason." With those words, Teridax cut off the lightning and opened a portal beneath Oriana before Miranda could even try to reach her. "We're going to be very busy."

"What do you want from me?"

"It's quite simple, really." The Makuta grinned. "When the time comes, you are going to bring me Commander Shepard, and here's how you're going to do it."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. While it was mostly "a day in the life" style there are a few plot elements that have reared their head, which will become important later on. The meeting itself will also be shown in a bit more detail in later chapters, as we find out just what was discussed with everyone present.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	21. Recruitment Drive

**Alright, and so we shall begin the next chapter. This one will be a bit more plot oriented as we follow some of the stuff that was set up in the last chapter, as well as preparing for future events to come. But with that said, let's dive straight in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, RWBY, the MCU, Young Justice or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Ever since the conflict that had embroiled their planet, life on Remnant had become much more favorable after the kingdoms had allied with the First Order. The Imperial successor state had made dealing with the Grimm so much easier, and with the technological advantages that were brought to the table, the tech level and standard of living for Remnant had skyrocketed.

In exchange for their aid, the First Order had requested Dust, Huntsmen and Huntresses, as well as technicians and scientists who knew how to use the former effectively. Quite a few were more than willing to jump at the call, excited to get a chance to travel among the stars.

Then the war with the Republic began. The First Order's request for Dust increased, as did the military presence on their world. Though the superpower had not launched any direct attack against their world, people did notice how fewer Huntsmen and Huntresses were coming home.

Even still, the negativity from the knowledge that their world was dragged into yet another interstellar conflict that wasn't their own had increased the wave of Grimm attacks, though Oscar/Ozma was thankful that Salem was no longer on Remnant to capitalize on it.

Still, despite their unexpected help, Ozma certainly didn't trust the First Order, especially with the suspicious way they had timed their initial arrival on Remnant. To that end, he had managed to get in contact with the Republic before they had left, and had agreed to spy for them.

From what they had told him, Ozma didn't like what he had heard about them. Now, he, Qrow and Teams RWBY and JNR were doing all they could to spy on First Order activities on their world.

...

RWBY was currently on their latest mission for that task, one which brought Weiss closer to home than she would've liked. The SDC had begun exclusively giving Dust to the First Order, leaving quite a few people with less Dust than they needed.

Of course, Jacques Schnee wasn't a man of compassion, so he only cared about staying within the First Order's good graces. However, while sneaking through an SDC facility, RWBY had come across evidence that suggested Jacques was selling Dust to someone else, with shipments of Dust being diverted to the middle of nowhere.

Now, the Huntress team had followed the trail to the drop off point in question, where robotic drones offloaded the crates in the middle of the freezing tundra. They were clad in winter gear, yet Yang was still shivering.

"Gods, this place is freezing." The brawler muttered. "Why couldn't they have picked somewhere warmer?"

"Probably because this place is so remote." Blake countered. "Furthermore, there's less of a chance that the Grimm will interfere with any operations here."

"It's not so bad." Weiss said, gesturing to the snow around them. "This is actually pretty tame."

"Uh guys." Ruby interjected, stalling any other conversation. "Something's happening."

As the team watched, several dimensional portals appeared right next to the drop zone. And to their surprise, three multi-colored and nine foot tall monsters emerged, each carrying some sort of staff.

"What the hell are those things?" Yang whispered.

"No idea." Blake murmured. "But it looks like those things are what they're here for."

The team continued to watch as the monsters began moving the crates, with one of them pointing their staffs at the boxes of Dust, which began flying and moving of their own accord, entering the portal.

The exchange was briefly halted when several Grimm emerged over the rise, gunning directly for the monsters. But two of them simply unleashed blasts of energy from their staffs, letting loose explosive blasts and lightning that made short work of the Grimm before the creatures continued as if nothing happened.

"Something tells me we don't want to pick a fight with these things." Blake noted.

Ruby was inclined to disagree, but any further conversation was interrupted when a red and black portal emerged from behind the quartet. To their surprise, Raven Branwen emerged from the rift, her face concealed by her trademark mask.

"What are you doing here?" Yang's voice had instantly turned as cold as the ice around them, while everyone else looked alarmed. This definitely hadn't been part of the plan.

But Raven didn't say a word, and that was when Blake noticed something off about her mask: patches of what looked like dirt and rust were present on the piece of face protection, a stark contrast to the bone white Grimm art.

"I guess you're wondering why we're here." Ruby interjected, rubbing the back of her neck. "Funny story-"

That was all Ruby had time to say before Raven unleashed a blast of wind and fire that sent them all tumbling down from their perch and down towards the Dust exchange below. The creatures hissed at the unexpected arrivals, while the Knights aimed their weapons.

"Take them down!"

Weiss didn't hesitate at that order, and in seconds, the robots were all scrap metal. At this point, however, the three Rahkshi had readied their staffs, and Ruby narrowly dodged a blast of lightning before closing the gap and slashing at the creature.

The first two slashes struck before it could react, but the armor was barely marked by the blows. It caught the third one by the staff and wasted no time in electrifying it and Crescent Rose, causing Ruby to get blasted back and separated from her scythe. She quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the Rahkshi bringing its staff down on her head.

Meanwhile, Blake was using her Shadow Clones to great effect, as the shattering blasts merely hit those while she closed the gap. She managed to get in several slashes, but just like with Ruby's opponent, she found those attacks to be less effective than she hoped.

Trying a different approach, she used Gambol Shroud's ribbon to trip up the Rahkshi before leaping on top of it and bringing her blade down to its head. But the creature recovered faster than she expected, and grabbed her with one hand, tossing her aside and into the snow.

Before she could recover completely, the ground beneath her exploded, creating a crevice that she began falling into. Acting quickly she hurled one end of her blade at a wall and swung out on the ribbon, but unfortunately she was struck in mid-air by another blast, which almost completely drained her Aura.

Knowing that another hit like that would likely kill her, Blake was quick to move before the second blast could strike her. Elsewhere, Weiss found herself forced to keep using her summons against her opponent, who just kept manipulating the gravity and sending them flying or crashing into the ground before they could strike.

Her Knight, Queen Lancer, any of her larger opponents, were all just sent hurtling towards sky, while smaller opponents were simply crushed into the ground. Still, it split the Rahkshi's focus and allowed Weiss to launch her own hit and run attacks.

Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be having much of an effect, so Weiss tried a different approach and let loose a blast of ice dust which froze the creature in its tracks. For a moment, it seemed to be enough, but the Rahkshi simply broke free and hissed angrily.

While her teammates were in their own battles, Yang was in the fight of her life against her own mother. The Spring Maiden unleashed a barrage of elemental attacks without either pity or mercy, and it was all Yang could do just to survive.

Her attempts to counterattack had minimal effect at best, as Raven simply batted away or blocked the explosive shells. But despite Yang's own attempts to avoid and tanking the occasional blow, she noticed something.

Her mother's fighting style felt... off. Raven was being far more aggressive in her attacks than she normally was, while putting less effort into her defense. Yang managing to land a solid blow and knocking Raven's sword out of her hand was proof enough.

Another strange thing was the fact that Raven hadn't said a single word since she arrived. Granted, what she had to say would likely have been something condescending, but there hadn't even been a peep from her.

Of course, the middle of a fight was not the best time to solve such mysteries, and Yang was blasted by a storm of icicles drawn from the environment, dropping her Aura to dangerously low levels.

In response, she activated her Semblance and let loose a massive punch against her mother, managing to knock her back into a glacier, leaving a rather deep imprint in the ice. Raven's aura hadn't broken yet, but it was flickering, and the Spring Maiden in question staggered out of the hole and landed on the ground on her hands and knees.

Yang kept her guard up, expecting Raven to retaliate in the next few seconds. What she did not expect was for Raven to look up at her slowly and speak in an utterly soft voice that Yang had never heard from her.

"Yang... run." Her voice was completely broken as she spoke. "I can't break free, I-I can't-"

"What is this?" Yang shouted, refusing to let guard down. "Some kind of trick? Is this just a cruel joke to you?" Raven however, no longer seemed to be listening to her.

"He's in my head!" Raven grasped the sides of her head. "Get out! Get out of my mind!"

Abruptly her head jerked back down until the eyes of the mask were focused on Yang, and for a split second, the blonde could swear that a flicker of shadow crossed through the eyes of the mask.

Then Raven charged.

...

Ever since the attack on Remnant, Cinder Fall had been kept in stasis since her capture in that battle. The Republic had managed to cleanse her Phazon corruption before they left, but since then, she had been kept in captivity until they could figure out what to do with her.

Some on Remnant wanted to execute her due to her role in the Fall of Beacon, while Ironwood had pushed for her to remain alive for the time being, working with Oscar/Ozpin in the hope of removing the Maiden powers from her, while also studying the Grimm arm she now possessed. The First Order had offered to take her off Remnant's hand, but Atlas had refused and for the moment, the Imperials hadn't pushed.

Of course, Cinder wasn't aware of any of this, as being in stasis meant that she had no idea of anything going on in her surroundings. The first thing she did become aware of was when she found herself on the ground, surrounded by the bodies of several Atlesian guards.

She attempted to rise, but her strength was still rather weak, especially after the fight with the Toa Hagah and having no time of her own to recuperate before being sent into stasis.

"Cinder Fall." The Fall Maiden looked towards the unexpected voice and her remaining eye widened in shock. "I have an offer for you."

...

In the skies over Atmos, the massive bulk of the _Intention's Eye_ once more dominated the clouds, as squadrons of Banshees and Seraph fighters surrounded their mothership. Unlike the last invasion however, the world of Atmos had seen quite a few upgrades, and now with the support of Republic forces, the fight against the rogue Shipmaster was no longer as one-sided as it had once been.

Republic drones and fighters shot down multiple Seraphs, while the low flying Banshees were actually taken down by several Sky Knights, the Storm Hawks among them. Furthermore, the _Eye_ itself was actually taking damage from the newer defense towers, and it was only due to the carrier's own upgrades that it hadn't been shot out of the sky.

Despite the boost in morale that the vessel that had haunted their nightmares was no longer the invincible juggernaut it had been before, Aerrow couldn't help but feel that something was off. That feeling was only confirmed when Stork reported a distress beacon.

"It's coming from the older Crystal Mines." Stork reported. "Near the outskirt of Terra Gale."

"That's miles from here." Piper noted, looking over the maps. "Way too far for Laccabeus' forces to have gotten."

"Think we should check it out?" Finn asked, but Aerrow shook his head.

"We're not leaving this fight." The Sky Knight said. "At least not until we're sure the Republic has this in hand."

Fortunately, it seemed that that was exactly what was happening. As the losses to the carrier's fighters increased, the surviving vessels were called back to the _Eye_ , hounded all the way by Republic drones as pulse lasers tried to pick the latter off.

Then a Republic cruiser appeared overhead, the ship slightly larger than the carrier. The _Intention's Eye_ immediately activated its slipspace drive, the engines flaring as it drove forth into the abyss. It didn't escape completely unscathed, as a blast from the Republic ship punched a hole straight through the carrier, but the damage failed to stop the ship from escaping.

"Y'know, I really wish they'd done that when Laccabeus first came here." Finn muttered. "It would've saved us a whole lot of trouble."

"Storm Hawks, this is cruiser _Aspire_." The radio crackled at that moment, causing Aerrow to reach for his earpiece. "We will remain on station for the next twelve hours."

"Copy that _Aspire_." The Sky Knight replied. "Be advised, we received a distress signal coming from the vicinity of Terra Gale at the same time the _Eye_ was here."

"Acknowledged. Do you wish us to investigate?"

Aerrow glanced at the rest of his team, with Piper and Stork nodding yes. "They'll probably get there before we can." Piper explained. Aerrow nodded and accepted the Republic offer. A few minutes later, they got a reply back.

...

The Republic dropship had jumped from the _Aspire_ to the Crystal Mines near Gale, reaching the Terra in less than a minute. As soon as they were close, the squad of soldiers debarked from the ship, and methodically began making their way through the mines.

It didn't take long for the soldiers to find the bodies, or rather what was left of them. And from there, they simply followed the sounds of digging and other familiar sounds as it appeared someone had restarted the mine again. Unfortunately, the culprits were alerted to their presence by one of them shrieking.

"Rahkshi!"

A firefight ensued and as a result, several troopers were left wounded with two fatalities, while the Rahkshi suffered their own casualties and were forced to retreat through a dimensional gateway, bringing several minecarts worth of crystals with them.

...

"Are you sure?" Aerrow asked.

"There's no denying it." The Captain of the _Aspire_ replied. "They were definitely Rahkshi."

"And they were taking Crystals?" Piper interjected. "Why would they do that?"

"We can't be sure." The Captain sighed. "If you'll excuse me, I need to report this." The radio connection went dead, leaving the Storm Hawks alone to think.

"Why would Makuta want so many crystals?" Junko gave voice to the question they were all thinking. "And why not just go to the Far Side?"

"Maybe they just want to look at the scenery?" Finn offered lamely.

"Might I suggest we head for some place safer?" Stork interjected. "Ideally somewhere with less chance of imminent doom."

"There's still the matter of what we needed to do. And given what just happened, it's better we do it sooner rather than later." Aerrow sighed. "Set course for the Forbidden City."

...

Locked in a dark cell, far removed from any useful crystals, the former Master of Cyclonia, Cyclonis herself, sat alone, musing over everything that had happened. From the Fall of Cyclonia, her defeat in the Far Side and subsequent exile to the shattered world of Skyland, her subsequent imprisonment after the failure of her plans there, and having to live through the Tidal Wave had left the formerly young Empress into an even more twisted and cruel young woman.

And she knew exactly who to blame for it. Out of every one of her losses and failures, the biggest one was the Fall of Cyclonia itself. She had succeeded in dominating the entire Atmos, and her plan to force the last piece of resistance to surrender.

But just when she was on the cusp of victory, those Storm Hawks had snatched it right from her fingertips, undoing all her hard work in a matter of minutes. Her fist clenched at the thought. The Storm Hawks. They were the ones who had ruined her plans, hounded her across the Atmos, across the multiverse itself, and now just left her to rot in a cell.

Her dream of a Cyclonian Empire was naught but a memory now, but she would get revenge on the Storm Hawks, even if it was the last thing she did.

"I believe that can be arranged in due time." Cyclonis jerked her head towards her cell door, where the voice came from.

"Who are you?" The Crystal Mage hissed. "Why have you come here?"

"I am Makuta." Abruptly, her cell door was pulled off its hinges, revealing a large black and red mechanical being standing there. "And I can deliver your freedom... for a price."

...

She wasn't aware of much anymore. Being trapped in stasis would do that. She had followed the Dark Hunters after the Tidal Wave, being one of the few other prisoners that had been grabbed by the Portal Storm and deposited with the Hunters at their new location.

The Shadowed One hadn't taken too kindly to her presence, but instead of executing her right there, he had chosen instead to turn her into a trophy, replacing the Toa had lost all those years ago.

And so she had remained in the lower levels of his fortress, completely unaware of what was happening in the wider multiverse. Until a familiar face had found her while scanning through the Dark Hunter base, taking her along before the Order of Mata Nui could find her.

For a while, he had kept her in stasis, all while his own plans kept growing and taking shape. Now though, that would change. Despite her inherent lack of trustworthiness, she still had talents that he could use. Placing his hand on the control, Teridax deactivated the stasis field.

"I still have a use for you, Roodaka."

...

"So, it's confirmed then?"

"Yeah." Aerrow sighed. "Makuta was definitely on Atmos."

"Then let's hope what we have planned will work." Mata Nui shook his head. "Did you succeed?" At his words, the glowing purple figure of a fairly beautiful woman appeared in front of the Storm Hawks, looking rather put out.

"The Guardians of Atmos have relayed your request, so I shall aid you in this matter." The Oracle said. "But make no mistake, once I have aided you in this endeavor, I shall be gone."

"Those are the terms she agreed to." Piper explained at Helryx's questioning glance. "If we want her help, she gets to pass on again."

"We appreciate your aid in this matter." Mata Nui addressed the Oracle. "If the situation weren't so bad, we wouldn't ask this."

...

The plan was quite simple: using the combined clairvoyant powers of the Inhuman Robin Hinton, the Jedi Council, Toa Gaaki's Mask of Clairvoyance, Turaga Vakama's visions, the Mask of Time, and the Oracle of Atmos to accurately predict where Teridax would strike next.

With Doctor Strange and Zatanna using their magic to ensure that all their future sight powers would work in relative concert, instead of working against each other, the hope was that the combination would gain a far more accurate version of the future than they could get separately.

With the Force damaged by the events of both the Great Flood War and the Tidal Wave, the Jedi had found it increasingly difficult to glimpse accurate visions of the future. And considering how inaccurate they were to begin with, the boost was greatly appreciated.

As for the Mask of Time, despite the name, using it to view the future wasn't what it was intended for, and doing so didn't have the best results. But there were further complications:

The very nature of the multiverse meant that divining an accurate future was becoming increasingly difficult. Each universe had its own timeline, and seers couldn't handle knowing more than a few timelines from one universe.

But with this effort, that would soon change. The room had been emptied of everyone but the essential individuals as the combined vision began. Everyone was sitting in a meditative position, and as Mata Nui watched, everyone began floating with a golden aura, as Zatanna continually muttered spells under her breath while Strange kept silent, simultaneously aiding Zatanna with his own magic while using the Mask to peer into the future.

And in their mind's eye, thousands upon thousands of images could be seen, potential futures from multiple different universes all free to watch for all of them. But they still couldn't find the one they needed, forcing them all to further combine their powers.

Sixteen minds started to become one as their visions narrowed down, yet the more they did, the harder it was to both get a perfectly clear sight of the future, and the further the strain put on all of them. Several of the humans were getting nosebleeds while the Oracle and Gaaki shuddered.

But then they saw it. Seconds later, the connection was broken and everyone fell to the floor, trying to make sense of what they had seen. The vision had been fragmented and not entirely clear. There were still a number of things the Oracle team didn't know. But there was one thing that they could all be certain of.

"We know where he's going."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Suffice to say, things are definitely going to get... interesting in the next chapter. What will happen next? Well, you're all just going to have to wait and see.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	22. To Trap a Makuta

**So it begins. The latest chapter of Shattered Destinies has arrived, and things are going to get very interesting going forward. To recap what happened in the last chapter; Teridax and his forces have stolen Crystals from the world of Atmos, while the Makuta himself has done a little recruiting.**

 **Meanwhile, the Republic has been making a plan to capture or kill Teridax once and for all, and with the help of several individuals gifted with the power to see the future in order to figure out where he's going next.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, Mass Effect, Young Justice, the MCU or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

"STAR Labs?"

"It's definitely where he's going." Doctor Strange explained. "All the most probable futures show him there, attempting to steal either parts of something called A.M.A.Z.O. or a Mother and Father Box."

"Do either of those names make sense to you guys?" Master Durron asked the Earth-16 representatives.

"They definitely do." Zatanna's alarm was palpable. "We need to relocate those things immediately."

"Not yet." Cighal shook her head. "That will be the bait we use to draw Makuta in."

"I'm not sure that's wise." Helryx admitted. "If the trap fails, then we potentially lose those objects to Teridax."

"I'm afraid there's no other choice." Gaaki clearly didn't like the idea either, but she continued. "Teridax will just leave if he realizes the objects are missing."

"I'm afraid there is more." Vakama turned to look at Mata Nui. "You cannot be present at the location in question. Instead you must be fighting the First Order, and rather visibly at that."

"Is that really a good idea?" Tony Stark asked. "Last I checked, he's one of the few people that might be able to put Makuta down."

"I'm afraid Vakama is right." Strange sighed. "Teridax will only make his move if Mata Nui is noticeably where he's not."

"I have every confidence that you will be able to capture him without me." The Great Spirit calmly nodded. "As much as I'd wish to be there myself, if my absence is what it takes to at least capture Makuta, I will stay away."

"It's not like we're short on manpower for this plan." Thrawn's hologram spoke up, as he looked over a screen. "In fact, if this was anyone else, I'd say the amount of extraordinary people we're bringing to bear against him would be unnecessary overkill."

"But it is Teridax." Helryx pointed out. "I think we're all aware of just how dangerous he is."

"I'm not disagreeing." The Grand Admiral assured her. "If our intel is correct, bringing him in may be our best bet in ending the First Order's offensive against us."

"Then there is no time to waste." Kaldur said. "We need to be prepared."

...

Mata Nui stood on the bridge of the Republic mega-dreadnought, looking out into the void at the First Order fleet across from them. Once again, he gave the transmission requesting their surrender, and once again, there was still no response.

With no hesitation, Mata Nui gave the order for the battle to begin, all the while knowing that this wasn't where the true fight lay. It felt wrong to sit out the operation to bring down Makuta, as the Great Spirit was aware that he was one of the few who had a good chance of beating Teridax alone.

But this was the way things had to be, and Mata Nui had faith that the people of the Republic would be able to to act in his stead. And if things went according to plan, this would be the last day that this pointless war with the First Order would continue.

With that hope firmly in mind, the Great Spirit refocused on the battle ahead, knowing the best thing to do would be to end this fight quickly.

...

Things were rather hectic in the West-Allen household. It was the usual playdate for the Justice League children, and unsurprisingly, with a house filled with superpowered children, the parents and guardians were rather busy.

Thankfully, Wally and Artemis were present to help, the former especially useful when it came to wrangling up Don and Dawn Allen. Despite the jovial mood from the kids, there was still an element of tension in the air from the parents.

Most of them were well aware that something big was going down with the League and the Team, though they weren't aware of the full details. Wally, Artemis and Red Tornado though, were, and as the children played, the three of them quietly conversed about it.

"I don't like this." Artemis murmured. "This feels wrong, just being here when we could be there."

"You heard what they said." Wally whispered. "This needs to look convincing."

"If we are needed, the Zeta tubes are only a short distance away." Red Tornado added. "If they need reinforcements, or we need help, it won't take long to get here."

"I hope it doesn't come to that." Artemis muttered uncertainly.

...

In the STAR Labs facility in Boston, a number of scientists and guards continued to do their jobs with the same routine as most days. Thus, few paid much attention as the director of the facility made his way to the vault containing some their most prized objects to study, a Mother and Father Box.

After going through careful screening, and the security checks by the guards, Doctor Wells waited as the vault opened and stepped through, making his way to the storage containers that held them. But just as he reached them a laser grid activated over the door, while the power dampeners came online.

In the antechamber just before the vault, Teridax chuckled as the Wells illusion vanished, while blasting a nearby wall panel with Shadow. The power dampeners and laser grid deactivated, leaving all the hard work that had gone into setting up those countermeasures as nothing more than an exorbitant waste.

"Next time, try a less obvious trap." At Teridax's words, a sudden force field augmented by magical runes sprung up around him, stretching from the ceiling to the floor.

The chamber was abruptly teleported outside the building as Teridax attempted to break free. His dimensional portals and teleportation abilities weren't working and attempting to blast his way out using his other powers was proving quite fruitless.

An animal roar slipped from his mask as he was reduced to trying to break the energy shield with his bare hands and raw strength, yet even that was proving useless. He only became aware of his captors when Rocket's voice spoke up.

"Please keep hitting it." The young superhuman snarked. "The energy bubble only gets stronger the more kinetic energy you throw at it."

Teridax ceased his efforts and got a look at what was holding him, and more importantly, who. He was in a cell clearly designed by the Republic to hold a Makuta, yet they still weren't taking any chances, as Rocket, Doctor Strange and Zatanna were adding their own powers to keep him contained.

As Makuta glared at his captors, he also noticed as more and more heroes began to appear. Some flew in under their own power or were carried by someone else, others either ran in like the Flash or Impulse, or swung in like the Bat family or Spider-Man.

In less than a minute, Teridax was surrounded by the heavy hitters of the Avengers, some of the big and small names in the Justice League and Team, as well as members of Team Avatar and the Storm Hawks.

"You planned this."

"I'd say it was a team effort." Strange replied. At that moment, a portal opened and a familiar figure stepped out.

"Makuta Teridax." Helryx's voice was colder than a Toa of Ice. "In the name of the Republic, the Great Spirit, and all the lives you've taken, you're under arrest."

* * *

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	23. Breaking Free

**So, to recap what happened last chapter, Teridax was captured by a Republic operation with aid from some of the biggest heroes in four worlds. How will things go from here? Well, just read ahead to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, Young Justice, the MCU, Star Wars or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

They had done it.

Only moments ago, a Republic operation had successfully managed to trap Teridax in a cage that he could not escape from, and was being guarded by some of the most powerful Republic operatives and allies to prevent his escape. Despite seeming helpless, no one let their guard down, knowing just how dangerous their foe was.

"All of you, just for one of me." Teridax laughed. "I'm almost impressed."

"The game is over, Makuta." Strange said. "Your reign of terror is at an end."

"I'm sure you'd like to think that." Teridax smirked, causing a slight ripple of unease among the crowd. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." His eyes drifted to Spider-Man as he said those words, causing Peter to shiver.

"We don't fear you, Teridax." Thor spoke up, gesturing with Stormbreaker.

"The fact that you're all here says otherwise." The Makuta countered. "Or did you all just have nothing better to do?"

"Enough." Helryx's voice cut through whatever else the reply might have been. "Your mind games aren't going to work, Teridax."

"Perhaps not on you, Helryx." He shrugged. "Still, I must admit, I am impressed by how you knew I was coming here. I imagine clairvoyance was responsible." No one said anything, but a couple minor shifts in body language said everything. "Then you must know what will happen next."

"It's quite simple." Kaldur gestured with his water bearer. "You will be imprisoned until your fate has been decided."

"Wow." Makuta rolled his eyes. "How much are you paying those seers of yours, because you might want a refund."

"Can either of you shut him up?" Rocket asked Strange and Zatanna.

"Are you really so scared of me?" Teridax snarked. "What's your human saying?: sticks and stones may shatter my armor, but words will never hurt me?"

"Get him out of here." Helryx said, ignoring Teridax's little games. "We'll transfer him somewhere more secure."

"Toa Helryx, you disappoint me." Teridax paid no mind to the moving cell. "Did your time as my 'friend' really mean so little to you? Did you tell your new friends just who I am?" The Order leader refused to take the bait, but someone else did.

"The Master of plans and schemes." Tony Stark snorted. "And yet you fell right into this trap."

"Which should beg the question: Do you actually believe I didn't plan for _this_?"

Abruptly, a building several blocks away exploded, causing the procession to halt. Without hesitation, the Flash and Superman rushed to the scene, with the former putting out the fire with his freezing breath while the latter evacuated any civilians still inside.

"What the hell caused that?" The Kryptonian and Speedster returned, dropping off the culprits, both of whom had effortlessly been dealt with.

"They're Spartans." Superman replied, turning his gaze to the cage and glaring at the occupant. "Both of whom are under Teridax's control." The Makuta in question smirked.

"That was merely a warm up." The comm signals of the Justice League began beeping. "You might want to get that."

"Watchtower to Justice League, we've got major problems all over the globe." Snapper Carr said as Kaldur activated his link. "Multiple cities are under attack by Visorak, Rahkshi or some kind of Rahi."

"We can't just let those things run amok." Barry spoke up.

"And we can't leave him unguarded." Wanda countered, pointing at the amused form of Teridax. "That's exactly what he wants."

"He won't be unguarded." Helryx sighed. "Get going, now! Before they come to free their master."

...

 ***AN: I'd recommend playing the song "What it takes to be a hero" by All-Insane Kids as the soundtrack for the rest of the fight scenes in this chapter***

...

It was an average day in Metropolis when it happened: dozens of portals opened up and hordes of Visorak began emerging, attacking and webbing up everything in sight. A similar pattern was repeated in other cities around the globe, but this one was where a Kahgarak opened a portal into the Field of Shadows.

The massive form of the Zivon emerged, standing thirty feet tall and towering over the people around it. People began screaming as more webbing emerged from its legs, ensnaring even more victims.

A team of heroes led by Superman, Icon, Vision, Flash, Iron Man and Spider-Man were quick to arrive and begin fighting back against this new threat. While the Kryptonian, Android and inventor immediately engaged the giant spiders, the Scarlet Speedster and the Webhead aimed to evacuate civilians from the danger areas.

A Rhotuka struck Superman, leaving him blind and disoriented as the Zivon hurled him into a building its its stinger. Icon retaliated by slamming into its head, but the monster recovered from the blow faster than expected and grabbed him in its claws.

Iron Man responded by firing missiles into the Rahi's eyes, causing it to stagger and roar in pain, dropping Icon in the process. A Rhotuka struck him in response, leaving Tony completely deaf to everything around him.

If he hadn't been, he might have heard FRIDAY's warning about the Visorak behind him, who launched several Rhotuka at him. He did see the warning lights, but it was too late as Tony was now experiencing an extremely painful burning sensation that left him unable to concentrate which sent him crashing to the ground.

Taking advantage of his vulnerability, a number of Visorak moved to attack, but Spider-Man swung in and grabbed his mentor before they could reach him, kicking another Visorak in the face as he did.

"Thanks for the save, kid." Tony said when his hearing returned. "I owe you one."

Elsewhere, Vision was caught in an electrical field from the Rhotuka of several Suukorak, which began messing with his ability to phase. The Flash responded by knocking those spiders away, before running into another building that was being overwhelmed by Visorak and rescuing the civilians trapped there.

...

The Rahkshi were rather difficult foes for even the League to fight. Though individually, they could be brought down, but Teridax had accounted for that and ordered large numbers of higher grade Rahkshi to keep them busy.

Wonder Woman's attempt to bring down the Rahkshi still in flight came to a crashing halt as she did, the gravity around her increasing a hundred fold. Fortunately, she was freed when Hawkman brought his mace down on the offending Rahkshi's head.

Elsewhere, a gigantic worm-like Rahi burrowed through the ground towards yet another populated city, only to be intercepted and torn out of the ground by more heroes from the League.

The Thresher Maw like being roared and a blast of gravity was unleashed from its mouth, crushing several trees together into a tiny mass. The gigantic mechanical Rahi was halted when it was struck in the chest by an axe, which immediately flew back into the hand of Thor.

Captain Marvel followed up by striking the giant worm under the chin, sending it reeling. It looked like the creature would fall then, but it suddenly increased its own gravity and crushed the young hero underneath its mass.

Martian Manhunter came to the rescue then, telepathically attacking and confusing the creature, allowing Thor to knock it off Captain Marvel. The young wizard recovered and together with the God of Thunder, they unleashed twin bolts of lightning at it.

All over the world, Teridax's armies attacked, and almost immediately afterwards, the heroes native to this world and a number that weren't had arrived to meet them head on.

...

Back outside STAR Labs, moments after the bulk of the heroes had dispersed across the globe to battle Makuta's forces, his own escape began. Without warning, four figures appeared from a dimensional rift, with Cyclonis unleashing a crystal blast from her staff.

The blast took Strange and Zatanna by surprise, knocking the magician and Master of the Mystic Arts away before they had a chance to react. Rocket managed to create a barrier to protect herself, but the damage from the sudden attack had damaged the cell enough for Teridax to break it open, and he responded by hitting her with a stream of sound.

The Collective technology that powered her belt had no protection against Sound waves, and the sonic blast overwhelmed her senses, knocking her unconscious. With a grin, Cinder moved to finish the hero off, only to be swept away by a massive wave of water.

Helryx then pointed her flail at Teridax, unleashing a stream of water that he countered with a stream of plasma. While that was happening though, Kaldur had pulled his own water out and wrapped it around Teridax's hand, simultaneously electrocuting and pulling it away, allowing Helryx to hit him in full.

The water burst sent the Makuta into a makeshift pit, which Korra sealed up completely via Earthbending. This only slowed Teridax for a few seconds before his makeshift tomb was blasted open by fragmentation.

Meanwhile, the rest of Teridax's allies joined the fray, attacking the remaining heroes using the element of surprise. The Storm Hawks in particular recognized Cyclonis, especially as she engaged in a beam duel with Piper.

"Surprised to see me, old friend?" The dark Crystal Mage mocked. "You never came to visit when I was locked in a cell. I'm hurt."

"What are you doing here, Cyclonis?" Aerrow snarled, hurling an energy blast from his swords at her. "And why would you work with Makuta?"

"You really think I'm going to tell you?" Cyclonis replied, launching another beam at him. "As for why I'm here; to see you both dead!"

Meanwhile, Cinder Fall and Raven Branwen had been caught up in a conflict with the Young Justice team, their combined Maiden powers managing to hold them all back for a brief moment.

That situation changed when Cinder was abruptly grabbed by a red aura and slammed into a tree. Shaking her vision clear, Cinder's eye narrowed at the form of Scarlet Witch, who's hands were charged with power.

"Do you really think you can beat me?" Cinder laughed as fireballs appeared in her own hands.

"I've fought worse than you." Wanda snarked, drawing Cinder's anger.

The Fall Maiden hurled the burst of flame at Wanda, who simply absorbed it with a telekinetic shield. In retaliation, Wanda ripped several trees and cars off the ground before hurling them at Cinder, who narrowly avoided all but one car.

The vehicle slammed her into the ground, already bringing down her Aura to a lower level than she would've preferred. Blasting the car away with fire, Cinder created a swarm of razor sharp ice leaves and hurled them at Wanda, who created a shield using one of the cars.

Cinder used that distraction to close the gap and leapt on top of the car before kicking Scarlet Witch in the face. Wanda narrowly rolled out of the way of Cinder's Grimm claws before telekinetically halting the glowing dagger that Cinder tried to drive into her throat. The Fall Maiden recovered from being hurled away, her eye now glowing with flame.

Meanwhile, the heroes were still engaged with Raven, who was slowly getting pushed back by the onslaught. Her conjuring of a tornado gave her some breathing room and hurled the flying heroes away, but the mini cyclone was abruptly dispersed by Korra, who launched a massive stone block into Raven that sent her flying through the STAR Labs sign.

"I'll keep her busy." Korra said to the others. "Help them stop Makuta."

The team looked to see a recovered Strange and Zatanna adding their own magical attacks to aid Helryx, Kaldur and Rocket as they aimed to keep Makuta off balance. Nodding, M'gann led the team to provide support, while Korra turned her attention fully back to Raven.

For Teridax, he found himself caught in a sphere of electrified water, which was in another of Rocket's force fields and magically enhanced by Strange and Zatanna. For a moment, it seemed like it would hold... until a blast of shadow energy stuck Zatanna in the back, causing the shield to falter just enough for Teridax to teleport out.

Helryx searched for the source of the surprise Shadow bolt, only to be hit by one herself, staggering the Toa and knocking her to her knees. Roodaka stood there, purple shadow energy still wafting off her fingertips.

"It's been a long time, Helryx." Roodaka smirked. "You know, I never got to repay your Order or you for keeping me imprisoned for all those years."

"Oh you don't have to worry about that." A gesture of her flail knocked Roodaka off her feet with a blast of water. "We'll have you back in a cell in no time."

Snarling, Roodaka launched a Rhotuka spinner at the Toa of Water, aiming to mutate her into some horrific abomination, but Helryx casually sidestepped the wheel of energy before summoning another jet of water.

This time, Roodaka was prepared for it and barely flinched as the liquid washed over her, but this gave Helryx time to close the gap and kick the Vortixx in the face, before capitalizing on that advantage and hurling her into the ground.

While this was happening, Kaldur was sent flying by a burst of Heat vision. This ultimately allowed Rocket to place yet another bubble around Teridax while Zatanna and Strange quickly reinforced it. Their magic prevented sound from escaping, but couldn't stop the wave of confusion that overcame the two magicians, who broke their concentration and allowed Teridax to unleash a power scream against Rocket.

"Dnib mih ot eht dnuorg!"

Abruptly, chunks of the ground came alive and wrapped themselves around Teridax's legs, while Strange create multiple copies of himself which all created glowing ropes that further restrained the Makuta's arms.

For a brief moment, this seemed like it would hold, but then Teridax summoned a storm of hail that battered away at all the Strange clones. This was followed up by a cyclone that sent all of the Stranges flying out of control, breaking their concentration and bonds while Zatanna could barely keep herself from flying away.

The Strange clones were forced to vanish, leaving only the original, who Teridax knocked out of the sky with a burst of laser vision. Zatanna attempted to cast another spell, but a sudden vacuum had her gasping for air instead.

"I have had enough of you two."

Teridax hurled a bolt of chain lightning that struck Strange head on, subsequently arcing into Zatanna. The two magicians fell to the ground unconscious, smoke still wafting off their bodies.

"Pathetic." Teridax raised his hand to finish them off, but abruptly found himself staggered by a blast of plasma.

"You're not touching them." Blue Beetle said as he unleashed a wave of sound from his Sonic cannon, while Impulse began attacking at Super Speed.

As one, the Team attacked Teridax, using multiple vectors to keep him off balance. It got to the point that Superboy and Wonder Girl hit him with the West Maneuver, the former getting behind his legs while the latter punched him in the chest and knocked him on the ground. Blue Beetle wasted no time in unleashing staples to pin the Makuta's hands and legs to the ground.

"That should hold him." Jaime's less than sure claim was instantly proven wrong as the staple around his right hand disintegrated, allowing the Makuta to free the rest of his limbs.

"Just like the Toa. You heroes are all alike." Teridax hurled a blast of Shadow, which struck M'gann in the chest. "Ever optimistic to the point of insanity."

"And what's wrong with that?" Impulse hit Teridax in the face multiple times at super speed, staggering the Makuta. "A little optimism won't hurt." Abruptly, Impulse's speed was negated as Teridax smirked.

"I guarantee this will." Teridax struck Impulse with electricity, causing him to fly backwards as he screamed in agony. "I'll admit, I'm having more fun than I expected to have today. Of course," Abruptly the ground under Conner disintegrated. "I'm not sure everyone in the League's family could say the same."

"What are you talking about?" Robin asked, even as he and Nightwing threw several explosive birdarangs at Teridax, who simply redirected it towards Cassie. "No!"

"There's a reason I chose to attack today. I know the Justice League's children are all gathered for their little... playdate." The Makuta's smirk and tone chilled the spines of everyone there. "I hope you don't mind if my sons join them."

...

While the operation to capture Teridax was falling to pieces and their world under attack by Makuta's forces, the kids and parents at the West-Allen house remained blissfully unaware of the events that were transpiring with the heroes.

Wally, Artemis and Red Tornado on the other hand, were aware. They had surreptitiously been getting reports and the news wasn't pleasant, leaving the three heroes well aware that they would likely need to join the fight themselves. Wally was explaining this to his aunt when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Were you expecting anyone else?"

"No." Iris shook her head. "Everyone is already here."

"Get the kids to safety." Artemis pulled her collapsible crossbow from her boot. "Because I don't think our visitors are friendly."

The first confirmation that there was something wrong was when the front door exploded. A Fragmentation Rahskhi walked through the shattered entryway, its spines tingling as it emerged into the West-Allen front room.

Wally didn't waste any time and body slammed into the Rahkshi at high speed, knocking it out of the house and into several of its companions. The speedster capitalized on their surprise and didn't let up, hitting multiple Rahkshi with high speed blows.

Wally suddenly slowed to a crawl just in time to get hit in the face by the Rahkshi of Slowness' staff. Artemis pulled out her crossbow and fired, but her arrows were abruptly intercepted by the power of a Cyclone Rahkshi. Red Tornado immediately retaliated with his own power, but a sudden vacuum dispersed the tornadoes.

"Artemis to League, we need backup! Like, right now!" The archer fired an explosive arrow to take down one Rahkshi, but she only got static in response. "We're being jammed." She turned to Iris and the other parents. "Get the kids out the back. We'll cover you."

Unfortunately, just as she said that, the back door was also blasted open and more Rahkshi emerged into the West-Allen household, cutting off any chance of escape. And yet, the Rahkshi avoided directly harming the children, instead resorting to other means.

A wave of sleep had all the children out like a light, and the adults weren't doing any better, with most struggling to stay awake. Only Red Tornado was unaffected and he responded by targeting the offending Rahkshi.

The wave of sleep vanished, but now Red Tornado was a priority target of the Makuta sons. Almost immediately, a burst of lightning struck the android, causing him to scream in pain before a shattering blast blew him apart, his torso becoming separated from his legs.

Fortunately, the android was still semi functional, but it mattered little to the rest of the Rahkshi still present, who closed in on the children, their parents, and the few heroes there. When all hope seemed lost, though, someone else appeared, as explosions tore through the Rahkshi ranks.

"Roy?" Will's eyes widened upon seeing the original Roy Harper in his Arsenal costume, alongside a Speedster.

"Sorry we're late." Impulse said quickly as he weaved away from the Rahkshi attackers. "Traffic was a nightmare."

"We're just glad you're here." Wally muttered. "We can use the help."

Arsenal's weapons tore through the offending Rahkshi, his shots aimed to take out their Kraata quickly and efficiently. His first targets were the Rahkshi with Slowness powers, which allowed Impulse and Wally to aid much more effectively.

"We need to hurry this up." The future speedster was saying. "All of this is a distraction."

"By Teridax?" Wally asked, even as he disarmed a Gravity Rahkshi and slammed into a lightning one.

"Yeah, he's free." Impulse shook his head. "And we need to hurry."

...

Back outside STAR Labs, while Helryx was fighting Roodaka, Scarlet Witch fighting Cinder, Korra in combat with Raven, and the Storm Hawks dealing with Cyclonis, that left Makuta primarily under assault by the Young Justice team. And unfortunately, without their support from the big guns in the League and Avengers, they were faring rather poorly.

It hadn't started that way; the proper level of coordination through M'gann's telepathy had allowed them to blitz Teridax before he could properly react. Unfortunately, the Makuta broke into the link with his own telepathic powers, forcing M'gann to break the link with everyone else.

 _I must admit, your telepathic powers are impressive._ Teridax thought. _But do you actually believe that you can even come close to matching my mind?_

 _You wouldn't be the first telepath with an oversized ego that I've dealt with._ M'gann boasted as their battle on the mental plane began.

The fight lasted only a few seconds in real time. Unfortunately, the mental battle hadn't gone well for M'gann, given that she was lying on the ground, having been knocked unconscious by Teridax.

In anger, Conner immediately hit Teridax with an uppercut to the jaw followed by a barrage of blows to the midsection. The Makuta's invulnerability power kept the attack from having much of an effect, and he retaliated by grabbing Conner and covering him with some sort of green liquid that left him screaming as Teridax tossed him aside.

"I wasn't certain whether I could make a Poison that mimics the effect of Kryptonite." Teridax said, watching the suffering half-Kryptonian on the ground. "How did I do?"

Wonder Girl managed to knock him back slightly, but Teridax caught her when she tried again and immediately drained her with Hunger. The young woman became too weak to fight back and was tossed aside like an empty soda can.

Blue Beetle attempted to attack next, but Teridax simply began using magnetism to crush his armor, forcing the Scarab to retract it in order to protect the human underneath. A single blast of Shadow took care of him.

Shapeshifted into a cheetah, Beast Boy rushed towards Teridax before shifting into an elephant, using the momentum to ram into the Makuta. Unfortunately, Teridax's raw strength and a bit of density shifting stopped the effort in its tracks and the Makuta responded by sending him hurtling towards space with negated gravity.

Acting quickly, Robin launched a grapple rope around Beast Boy's leg, who shifted into his human form in order to lessen the amount of pull gravity had on him. Fortunately, Tim was able to secure the line and keep Garfield from flying away.

Static reacted this time, narrowly avoiding Teridax's Shadow blasts and grabbing him with his lightning powers before hurling him back into the STAR Labs parking lot. Unfortunately, this only served to annoy the Makuta, who magnetically lifted up the cars that Scarlet Witch hadn't already thrown aside, and hurled them at the members of the team.

Fortunately, M'gann had recovered by this point, and was able to divert the cars away from the team, one having the good fortune of being redirected into Roodaka's back in the process. Unfortunately, this just caused the Martian to be targeted by plasma.

"M'GANN!" Garfield shouted, causing Teridax to look up.

The effects of Teridax's gravity power had worn off, and in that split second, Beast Boy changed back into an elephant and attempted to land on top of him. The Makuta simply turned intangible and let the young metahuman pass right through him, before conjuring a cyclone around him.

This wasn't the only change to the weather, as the skies above grew cloudy and windy, but for once, it wasn't solely Makuta's doing. While he was busy overpowering the other heroes, Raven was attempting to strike down Korra with Lightning.

Korra launched herself away from lightning bolt after lightning bolt, narrowly avoiding the streaks of electricity. After several moments of this, the Avatar had had enough, and let the next bolt strike her as she pointed up to the sky.

She was very glad to have picked up the lightning redirection move as she hit the Spring Maiden with her own lightning strike, staggering the bandit leader. Korra followed it up with a large rock, followed by a blast of fire, but Raven merely carved through the rock with her sword followed by pirouetting out of the way of the flame.

Raven retaliated with her own elemental attacks, and Korra once again found herself on the defensive. That changed when she triggered the Avatar State, allowing Korra's bending to quickly overpower the Spring Maiden's own efforts.

The elemental attacks were quick to overwhelm Raven, with a barrage of rocks eventually shattering her Aura and one well place rock striking her in the face, knocking the Spring Maiden's mask off and leaving a large gash on her forehead.

"This is your last chance to surrender." Korra held another rock floating next to her fist, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Raven however, didn't even seem to see the Avatar, staring at her own hands as if it was the first time she had seen them in years.

"Oh Gods, Yang, what have I done?" That was all she had time to say before Raven was teleported away by the Makuta.

"What?" That was all Korra had time to say before she was struck in the back by a vacuum blast, sending her crashing into Piper, which disrupted Aerrow's own crystal enhancements.

Cyclonis took advantage of the break and blasted Aerrow, before attempting to finish off the dazed Crystal Mage and Avatar. Before she could do so, however, her ears were overwhelmed with sound, having missed the sonic batarang that Nightwing had thrown near her.

The costumed hero took advantage of Cyclonis' distraction and disarmed her of her staff, then unleashed a series of strikes with his escrima sticks, knocking her off balance and then unconscious before she could retaliate.

"Thanks for the save." Aerrow said as he, Piper and Korra recovered.

"Anytime." Nightwing turned to Cinder, who was still battling Scarlet Witch. "Now, let's do something about her."

At the moment, Cinder's attacks were overwhelming the Enhanced Sokovian, as a cyclone of obsidian shards forced her to keep herself contained in a shield of telekinetic energy. But Scarlet Witch countered with a shockwave of her own, dispersing the cyclone, the daggers and sending the Fall Maiden flying. Managing to land on her feet, Cinder prepared a fiery javelin to throw when she was struck in the back by an energy blast.

"What?!"

Cinder turned just in time for Korra and Piper to unleash their own attacks, forcing Cinder to defend herself. Meanwhile, Aerrow, who Piper had enhanced with a Speed of Light Binding spell, appeared behind the Fall Maiden and struck her in the back.

Now furious, Cinder's Grimm arm stretched out to impale Piper, but it never reached before it was intercepted by a field of red energy. Wanda was interested in some payback, and held Cinder in place long enough for Piper, Korra and Aerrow to unleash simultaneous attacks to knock her out.

"Thanks for the help."

"Thank us later!" Piper pointed to the fight that was still going on between Roodaka, Helryx and Kaldur. "We need to stop this."

With Kaldur lying on the ground in a daze, Roodaka took aim with her Rhotuka launcher, but a red aura surrounded it and pulled her aim off, as Scarlet Witch sent her flying to the ground. At this point, Helryx had had enough and created a sphere of water around the stunned Roodaka's head, but instead of letting her drown on dry land, the Toa dispersed the water as soon as the Vortixx was unconscious.

"Is she-?"

"She'll be alright. I did promise to put her back in a cell. In the meantime," Helryx turned to Teridax, who was still holding off the Team on his own. "It's time to end this."

As Teridax blasted Superboy away, he suddenly found himself under assault by more attackers. Helryx and Kaldur swept him away in a massive water serpent, with the latter electrifying the liquid.

In the Avatar State, Korra also began manipulating the water while simultaneously pummeling him with stone, and launching him out with a burst of air. Wanda telekinetically grabbed the Makuta and slammed him repeatedly into the ground, before holding him in place and allowing Superboy and Wonder Girl to hit him in the mask with a simultaneous uppercut.

Blue Beetle immediately launched him straight back into the ground with a plasma cannon blast, creating a huge crater from the impact. As the Makuta attempted to rise, the attackers didn't let up, as fire, explosives, crystal energy blasts, electricity, sound waves and all other blows and attacks kept slamming into him, leaving the Maktua with no time to recover, while Scarlet Witch and M'gann held him so that he couldn't escape.

After a long moment, the attacks let up, allowing the Republic allies to see the fruits of their labor. They had managed to dig a massive crater into the ground outside STAR Labs, and Teridax himself was seemingly down for the count, with some smoke coming off his armor. Several heroes relaxed minutely... which turned out to be a mistake.

"This is a waste of my time."

Without a care for who got caught in the crossfire, Teridax unleashed a blast of Shadow around him, knocking all the combatants away before teleporting back inside the STAR Labs vault. Once there, he snarled in anger when he saw that the New God devices were missing from their plinth, as were the AMAZO parts.

"Where is it?!"

"Beyond your reach, Makuta."

The Shadow Titan turned to the voices just in time to be hit by two streams of energy. Teridax was blasted through the walls of the building, landing in a heap outside. Axonn and Brutaka followed him, both of their weapons crackling with power.

"It's over, Teridax."

As if to punctuate that sentence, a blast of lightning struck Teridax's feet as Thor and Captain Marvel returned, alongside several other heroes from both worlds. Cinder was sent flying from a speedy punch from the Flash, Roodaka was floored by Iron Man and Spider-Man, while Cyclonis was disarmed and blasted away by Vision.

"So it is." Teridax's glare was cold enough to chill atoms in their tracks. "And we are leaving."

At his words, Cinder, Cyclonis and Roodaka were all enveloped by dimensional portals. Seconds later, Teridax followed just as Axonn attempted to hit him with another blast of energy.

...

"The trap failed. Teridax escaped."

Helryx sounded bitter from merely speaking those words aloud, a situation Mata Nui could empathize with. The plan had seemed fool proof, but even when blindsided, Teridax still knew how to stay on top.

"I should have been there." Mata Nui shook his head. "Maybe I could've stopped him before things got too far."

"It's not your fault." Thrawn replied. "The First Order would've caused considerable damage if you had been there."

"And yet Teridax is free to cause more damage." Tahu sighed. "He'll be on guard now, especially if he's figured out how we found him."

"It wasn't a total loss." Mata Nui replied. "We managed to keep Makuta from getting his claws on anyone or anything he was after."

"It's a small victory." Helryx shook her head. "But at this point, I'll take what we can get."

...

The dimensional rift opened in the middle of the shadowy chamber, Teridax stepping out of the rift with a frown on his mask. The trip to Earth-16 had been a complete disaster, and he had been fortunate to have been able to escape.

Of course, this was offset by the fact that the Makuta had nothing to show for it. The technology he had intended to acquire had been left behind, the children of the League had been protected from his sons, and while the cities of Earth-16 had suffered damage, it wasn't enough to make up for it.

And on top of all that, several of the agents he had recruited were now known to the Republic. Not to mention that their combat skills clearly left a lot to be desired, given how soundly they were being beaten even before the heroes had returned.

Raven it seemed, was going to be a problem. The infected mask she used once again highlighted the problems with that kind of mind control: if the mask was removed, Teridax's control would vanish. So far, that hadn't been much of an issue with the rest of the First Order, but he was almost tempted to let Cinder drain Raven's power like she had originally requested.

Still, even assuming she were to break free once again, well, the Makuta had something of hers that would almost certainly keep her in line, despite the Spring Maiden's insistence of how little she cared about it.

His thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light behind him. For a brief moment, Teridax tensed, then relaxed as it became clear that it was just the Monitor. The ancilla hummed incessantly as it flew towards him.

"Report."

"The patients are being treated in the medical facility." The Monitor said calmly. "They are all in decent health and should make a full recovery within the day."

"Good." Teridax intended that to be a dismissal, but the Monitor had more to say.

"Am I correct in assuming the mission didn't go as planned?" Teridax turned to look at the floating orb, his eyes narrowed, which caused the AI to actually recoil.

"It is of no consequence." Teridax waved his hand dismissively. "The project will continue without them."

This time, the Monitor took the hint and teleported away, leaving Makuta alone with his thoughts. He wasn't lying, of course: in the grand scheme of things, the Mother and Father Boxes weren't strictly necessary.

His plan would still continue, with or without them.

...

Another tear in reality appeared, floating in the middle of space. But unlike the last several times, this time, there was a ship close enough to detect it. Of course, it wasn't the first time they had detected this anomaly, but only now were they able to reach the source.

The large vessel was filled with blue skinned humanoids, with the captain looking out through the viewport into the depths of space. The crack in reality was quick to vanish, but there was no concern about that: previous scans indicated that the tear would eventually reappear. It was constant in this region of space, and all they had to was wait.

"Alert the Confederacy." The captain reported. "Tell them we've located the anomaly."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. I'll be honest, I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew with this one. I originally intended the fights to go on for longer and have more to work with, but I just couldn't find the heart to really do that.**

 **Among other things, I definitely think this chapter was overloaded with too many characters, with part of the problem being the Justice League themselves. The expanded League has far too many heroes (and that's on top of everyone else), so I can only apologize if I didn't get a chance to focus on your favorite characters.**

 **Still, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	24. Plans Change

**Alright, and now we get to the latest chapter. After the events of the previous roller coaster of a chapter, this one will be a bit more relaxed, as we go into the aftermath of events. Anyway, let's dive right in, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, Star Wars, Halo, blah, blah, blah, you know the drill.**

* * *

Teridax watched dispassionately as Cinder, Cyclonis and Roodaka were subjected to the live fire combat drills that he had set up. He had no intention of punishing them horrifically simply for being outmatched (that was Palpatine's thing), but clearly the trio had room for improvement.

Of course, this whole exercise had another purpose: reminding the three females who was truly in charge. The Makuta was no fool, he had no illusions about their nature and no doubt that all three of these individuals would be willing to betray them at a moment's notice.

Ironically, Roodaka was the one he least had to worry about. True, she was an opportunistic schemer, but the Vortixx was well aware of just what he could do and just how out of her league she was against the Makuta.

Meanwhile, Cinder was also a schemer, but she was held back by her simplistic ambitions. Power was all she desired, to the point that she willingly allied herself with Salem to get it. But her lust for it was so great, that it was clear she didn't have any idea as to what she would do if she got it.

Even after being betrayed and controlled by Salem, the Fall Maiden never wavered in that desire, to the point that Teridax had to keep her from stealing Raven's with that Grimm arm of hers. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry too much about her stealing his power, though he knew that her pride would ultimately be her undoing.

And lastly, there was Cyclonis. Snoke had dealt with her prior to becoming Palpatine's vessel, and as such, Teridax knew enough about her as well. He had to admit, he was rather impressed: through her own schemes and research, she had managed to conquer her world at the young age of 14, for however brief of a reign it was.

Admittedly, she had never truly recovered since that defeat, and had been a pawn of the Gravemind's machinations more than once, but she still had that cunning and ruthlessness, as well as a hatred of being subordinate to anyone.

He would keep a close eye on her, but he had no intention of killing her, yet. Her experience and knowledge regarding the use of Atmosian crystals was something that was already being put to use, and Teridax had high hopes for his endeavor with that kind of knowledge.

Not that she was aware of that, of course.

Down in the training facility, Cyclonis blasted the last of the training droids to scrap, while Cinder pulled her glass dagger out of another. The two of them were breathing rather heavily, and even Roodaka, who's biomechanical physiology was hardier than theirs, was also exhausted.

"You've completed the warm up." Teridax's voice echoed through the arena. "Now it's time for the true exercise to begin."

Two sets of eyes and one single eye widened as multiple Visorak spiders were deployed into the arena, unleashing Rhotuka spinners immediately upon teleporting in. Teridax watched the trio struggle for a bit to fend off the Visorak, before turning away to deal with other matters.

Either they would endure, or they would not, it didn't matter to him. Right now, he had more important things to worry about, such as how the Republic managed to find him and set a trap for him on Earth-16.

It was clear that the Republic had used individuals with future sight to figure out where he was going to strike next. That could not be allowed to continue. He needed to strike at the source, while the Republic was still reeling from their failure.

Obviously, there was the possibility that the Republic was expecting that, but it was clear to the Makuta that their future sight hadn't been perfect, otherwise they would've seen his contingency plans coming. Nevertheless, he wouldn't tolerate any further disruptions in his plans.

It didn't take a genius to figure out where he needed to go first. But attacking head on was not the way to do this. Instead, Teridax activated his console and looked over the First Order battle reports.

"There you are."

...

Palptine sat in the middle of the war room as his Generals and Admirals continued to give their reports. And unsurprisingly, the news was still not something he wanted to hear, especially now.

For the moment, the Republic and the First Order were stalemated, with the Republic still holding the advantage in this war. The Imperial successor state had been reduced to making hit and fade operations on Republic territory now, which was keeping the superpower from going all out still.

Unfortunately, there were still problems among the First Order's own territory. Even with the attack on Coruscant, the war against the Republic wasn't exactly popular amongst the people who pledged themselves to the First Order.

Palpatine's PR claims that the First Order had things well in hand came off very hollow with the leaked news of all the destruction wrought from the Republic's actions, especially the opening strike when the war began that left hundreds of important military installations as piles of rubble.

Now to make matters worst, people were starting to protest and revolt on many worlds, a situation Palpatine was all too familiar with. Military crackdowns had been ordered of course, but unfortunately, the Sith Lord knew that it wouldn't be enough.

And to add insult to injury, intelligence suggested that the Jedi were fermenting these rebellions across First Order territory, necessitating operations to deal with them and further leaving them open to the Republic.

Naturally, he had dispatched several members of the Knights of Ren to deal with them, but the Jedi still had far better training. Furthermore, they couldn't spare any Huntsmen at the moment, as they were still necessary for fighting the Republic. And even they were starting to feel the strain and unrest.

This had to change, and it had to change quickly.

"I believe I can help with that." The military officers recoiled back in surprise, but Palpatine just sighed as he swiveled his throne around until he was face to face with Makuta.

"Help with what, exactly?"

"Your little internal rebellions, of course." Teridax smirked. "Allow my forces to intervene, and all of this internal dissent will be nothing but a memory."

"I don't suppose I have a choice, do I?" Palpatine's eyes narrowed. "But why the change? You never cared before."

"Circumstances have changed." Teridax's smirk disappeared. "But if you don't want the help, I'd be happy to leave your territory to fester and rot away from within."

Palpatine's growl was audible, but he kept himself from saying anything he'd regret. "Your help... would be most welcome." The Sith ground out instead, managing to sound like a grateful politician instead someone who was grinding his teeth together.

...

Jaina Solo watched as the people on this planet fought against their oppressors, feeling a twinge of sadness for every life lost. Though both the Jedi Council and the Republic approved of this plan, it never got any easier watching the same conflicts being repeated.

The people of Ralltiir had already suffered much throughout the years, especially during the reign of the Empire. To see them like this again, even after her mother had worked so hard to see them freed, was almost too much for Jaina to take.

Still, she kept her face passive, monitoring the progress of the Rebel forces here as they fought against the First Order soldiers, managing to use their numbers to offset the First Order's technical advantages.

With the war between the Republic and the First Order ongoing, the former desired a method to end the conflict more quickly. Acts of sabotage and espionage worked against their military forces, but in order to gain a more complete victory, it was clear that the First Order's hold on the civilian populace needed to be broken.

The Jedi Council offered their support to that end, working within the worlds of the former Galactic Alliance to bring down Palpatine's tightening grip. Now, Jedi forces were everywhere, their reputation letting them be heard by the people who wanted their freedom again.

Jaina had been selected to go to Ralltiir, and her heritage as the daughter of Leia Organa Solo, she was able to rally support among the planet's populace, especially those desiring to take their planet back from the First Order.

Armed with weapons delivered by the Republic through third parties, the fighting to take back their home had been fierce, all culminating in this attack on the world's capital city. The First Order forces were getting decimated, and as Jaina watched, one of their new walkers fell under a barrage of rockets.

The Sword of the Jedi wasn't personally involved in the fighting, not yet. She had something else she needed to do. And so, she waited on a rooftop overlooking the battlefield, feeling the dark presence appear behind her.

"You took longer than I expected." Jaina noted, without even bothering to turn. "So who do you come as a servant of? Palpatine or Makuta?"

"My will is my own." The reply finally caused the young Solo to turn, taking stock of the Knight of Ren. "The Sith, the Makuta, it doesn't matter."

"I'm sure you think so." Jaina pulled out her lightsaber hilt but left it unlit. "So why are you here now?"

"It's quite simple, really." The masked Knight ignited his own lightsaber with a flourish. "I've always wanted to kill a Jedi."

"You're going to keep wanting, then." Jaina ignited her lightsaber and held it in a guard position.

Silently, the two opponents circled one another, opening themselves up to the Force and ignoring the battle that raged around them. The Knight made the first move, lunging towards Jaina and slashing at her chest, a move she parried easily.

His next several attacks were also easily countered, causing the frustration of the Knight to take hold. He launched Jaina back with a Force push, but she casually recovered from it in a back flip, just in time to recover and block the red blade that came at her face.

"Fight back." The Knight pushed her blade closer to her face. "Or are all Jedi this pathetic?"

Jaina ignored his taunts, instead focusing on the helmet that he wore. Sure enough, she spotted patches of what seemed like rust on it. Her suspicions confirmed, the Sword of the Jedi stopped holding back, breaking the blade lock and disorienting him with a pair of rapid strikes before impaling him in the chest.

Gasping, the Knight's saber deactivated and the hilt fell to the ground from nerveless fingers. Jaina deactivated her own blade and let the body fall, feeling no joy in such a pointless death.

Sparing a brief glance of morning for the fallen Knight, the Sword of the Jedi walked to the edge of the rooftop and spotted as the capital building came under siege, the First Order soldiers being overrun by the will of the people.

By the time Jaina rejoined the rebels, it was all but over. Most of the Stormtroopers had been routed and the resistance forces were mopping up those who were left. For a brief moment, victory seemed assured. That hope died as the sky became cloudy, and Jaina sensed a dark presence.

"What the kriff are those?"

Multi-colored figures, each wielding staffs and flying under their own power, approached the heart of the city. As they flew by, an unnatural cloud cover followed them and shrouded the sunny day in darkness, the weather changing for the worse as hail started to fall.

"Rahkshi." Jaina whispered, drawing her lightsaber in response. "Everyone, get to cover!"

As soon as she said those words, a Cyclone had formed in the middle of the Rebel formation, catching a number of them in the sudden weather phenomenon and leaving them helpless to the chain lightning that lit up the tornado.

The rebels that weren't caught in the cyclone began firing back, Jaina included as she accurately drilled a hole into a Rahkshi's faceplate and the Kraata within, sending it spiraling to the ground, before turning her attention to the ones that just landed.

One Rahkshi pointed its staff at her and she collapsed to the ground, the weight of gravity pressing in on her. Ignoring the pain, she managed to reach out with the Force and grab the Rahkshi's staff, jerking it up and away from her.

With gravity restored, she activated her lightsaber and hurled it at the Rahkshi, timing it just right to impale the offending Rahkshi in question as it hissed at her. Looking around, Jaina noticed that she had been one of the lucky ones.

Chain lightning and plasma wiped out scores of rebels before they could react, with Heat Vision and Laser vision variants picking off the survivors. One laser vision Rahkshi turned its beams on Jaina, who reflected them back into several of the Rahkshi before angling it into the one who fired it.

This naturally drew their attention to her and she found herself as the sole target of several Rahkshi, who wasted no time in bringing her down. Despite the pain, Jaina did notice that unlike with the Rebels, they seemed to be holding back against her.

"Hello, Jedi Solo." The voice sent a chill up her spine as she knew her chances of getting away had just dropped to zero. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Jaina turned her head to see the massive form of Teridax looming over her. Around him, all the rebels that had attacked the First Order were either being rounded up or executed by Rahkshi. A small shift in gravity lifted her up until she was face to face with Teridax, who wrapped his hand around her neck.

Instinctively, Jaina attempted to summon her lightsaber with the Force, but Teridax simply grabbed it in mid air and crushed the hilt in his grasp, before disintegrating the remains.

"I believe you were partially responsible for the trap laid on Earth-16, Jedi."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jaina choked out, simply struggling to keep conscious as his grip tightened.

"Oh, I believe you do." Teridax smirked. "Of course, if you don't want to have this conversation, I'm sure your fellow Jedi will be more willing to cooperate."

"What are you talking about?" The Jedi Master attempted to loosen his grip, but his hand was unyielding.

"Why, all the Jedi orchestrating these little revolts across First Order territory, of course." Teridax smirked at Jaina's wide eyes. "You didn't think I would just come for you, did you?"

With adrenaline pumping through her system, Jaina reached out with a powerful blast of Force energy, striking the Makuta in the chest, staggering him and managing to break herself loose from his grip.

She attempted to grab one of the fallen blasters before she froze in utter terror, her eyes the only thing that could move. Her gaze turned to Makuta, who still had that insufferable smirk on his mask, causing Jaina's fury to abruptly rise higher than ever before.

"Fear? Anger?" A mixture of those two emotions washed over her, more potent than she had ever felt before. "Both of those lead to the Dark Side, correct? I must admit, this provides all new avenues to get information out of the Jedi."

Abruptly, the Sword of the Jedi was hurled up into the air before slamming into the ground hard, leaving multiple cracks on the ground. "I am looking forward to seeing what you can take." That was the last thing Jaina heard before she was put into stasis.

...

"We've lost contact with multiple Jedi." Luke Skywalker said, his tense tone the only sign that the report was bothering him. "All of them on worlds that were rebelling against the First Order. All of them have gone dark."

"Our reports indicate that Rahkshi were seen openly suppressing those rebellions." Thrawn said, his mouth drawn in a thin line. "On the side of the First Order, which certainly provides confirmation that the Makuta is working with them."

"And it seems Teridax no longer cares to hide that fact." Tahu sighed. "I think our trap might have rattled him."

"He's certainly more dangerous for it." Mata Nui shook his head, turning to the holographic maps of the conflict's battle lines. "We haven't seen any of his own forces engaging Republic territory, so he's clearly being cautious. Now, it's simply a matter of figuring out where he'll go next."

"I think that's obvious in this case." Coulson interjected. "He'll want to prevent the same trap from working twice. It's probably why he went after the Jedi."

"Of course, that begs the question: what did he do with them?"

...

Teridax watched as the stasis pod sealed itself, adding another Jedi to his expanding collection of prisoners. Or possibly trophies, depending on what mood the Makuta was in.

He had to admit, they were much more difficult than the Knights of Ren when it came to manipulation, but he knew that sooner of later, they would start to break. All of them would. But more importantly, he had acquired valuable knowledge regarding how the Republic had tracked him.

It seemed that he wouldn't actually have to worry about them doing so again, especially since the Oracle of Atmos had left as soon as their vision was done, but it would certainly be prudent to be wary from now on. In the meantime, he had some other tasks to take care of.

Giving a mental signal, Teridax watched as the door to the prison wing opened and three figures stepped through. One was Raven Branwen, sans mask and glaring venom at him. The other two were his own sons, who had no intention of letting their prisoner escape.

"Ah, Miss Branwen." Teridax greeted. "So glad you could join me."

"As if I had a choice." The Spring Maiden spat, her eyes burning with fire.

"You certainly have a choice." The Makuta smiled. "You can submit to me, or you can suffer slowly and painfully."

"Do your worst, you talking trash can." A fire appeared in her hand. "I'll- AAAHHHH!"

The Maiden was wreathed in lightning before collapsing to the ground, while one of the Rahkshi still had its staff pointing at her. Teridax chuckled as he pulled her off the ground with Gravity, her Aura kicking in to let her recover.

"If you're finished with your childish posturing, I have something to show you." With a gesture, the Makuta summoned four stasis pods around the duo, revealing the four members of Team RWBY trapped in stasis. "I hope you don't mind your daughter as part of my collection."

"You really think I care?" Raven said, her arms crossed.

"I know you do." To prove his point, Teridax held an electrically charged hand out, inches from Yang. Raven instinctively took a step forward and reached out her hand, panic etched into her visage. "You care about your flesh and blood, just as many organics do. It's why you are all so predictable."

The venomous glare in her eyes increased a hundredfold, while the Makuta still kept that insufferable smirk on his face. He had her trapped and she knew it, but she couldn't help but wonder:

"Why bother with all this?" She asked, gesturing to the four girls. "You already have your control, so why go to the energy for this?"

"It's far more amusing this way." Teridax replied. "Keeping you under mind control is really no longer necessary at this point."

...

After sending Raven on her way, and checking in with the three women who now functioned as his servants, Teridax retreated to the privacy of his lair to monitor the progress of the Monitor's construction, as well as continue his experiments.

Progress of the installation was proceeding rapidly. The critical components were mostly complete, and the outer shell was almost fully constructed. It certainly wasn't nearly finished yet; there were still a number of materials and devices he required, but he was still getting close to completion.

And once it was done, the multiverse would be his to rule, and no one, not even his brother would be able to stop him. Teridax's musings were interrupted when he got an alert from one of his allies. It appeared that the Confederacy was having some difficulties.

With a sigh that only he heard, Teridax opened a portal.

...

The Kree warship hovered in the void, waiting patiently for the anomaly to reappear. Despite the restlessness of the captain and his crew, no one had any thought of disobeying the Confederacy, especially when it was emphasized that this discovery could very well put the Confederacy above all other factions in the universe.

The Kree commander was shaken out of his musings when the alarm sounded, causing him to turn to the bridge crew. "Captain, we have intruders on Deck 3!"

"What? How is that possible?"

"We're not sure, sir." The sensor operator replied. "They just seemed to show up out of nowhere."

"Eliminate them." The commander ordered. "We will not be denied by these pathetic intruders."

"Sir, security reports that we are taking major losses!" Another officer reported. "The intruders just wiped out two assault teams!"

"What?! How is that possible?!" The Kree captain ran over and looked at the security footage throughout the ship. What he saw made his jaw drop.

Two alien figures were carving through the finest Kree warriors like tissue paper. One appeared to be wearing some kind of strange armor that was fully transparent, allowing her internal organs and alien skull to be seen. One of her arms had been replaced with a cannon, which spat out blue energy bolts that killed on contact.

The other was more noticeably humanoid, a female with unnaturally pale skin, black eyes with red irises, and black veins on her face. Her white hair was styled in a unique way, and her outfit was a simple floor length black dress, which contrasted with the devastating blasts of fire or energy she unleashed from her hands.

Idly, the Kree captain could see another figure lying next to the duo. This one looked far more mechanical, with red, black and yellow armor. The being seemed to be unconscious, but more alarming was the fact that everything near him seemed to rapidly decay. One Kree soldier got too close, and the officers watched horrified as he aged thousands of years in an instant.

The pale humanoid kept dragging the body through the corridors in between firefights, seemingly unaffected by whatever rapid aging it was giving off. The Kree captain watched as they dragged the body to a more open area, ignoring the Kree firing on them. The air seemed to ripple before the feed abruptly cut out and the ship shook from a tremendous impact.

"What just happened?"

"Power surge on multiple levels!" Another officer called out. "Our engines have been fried and our communications have been jammed."

"Sir..." The sensor operator had a look of confusion and terror on his face. "The anomaly just opened inside the ship!"

"What?!"

The feed had been partially restored, though the viewpoint was much farther than before since all other cameras closer to the source had been rendered inoperable. As the Kree watched, the same crack in reality had appeared right in the heart of their ship, though it seemed different now.

The presence of the biomechanical being seemed to have some effect on the rift, keeping it from vanishing as quickly as it had before. Meanwhile, the other two aliens were pouring energy into the rift, seeming to actually drain themselves of power and energy.

The two each fell to one knee after several minutes of this, but they accomplished what they wanted: the crack had widened and a misshapen portal appeared in the air, with what was on the other side being nothing but darkness.

The Kree captain's eyes widened in horror when something emerged from the rift.

* * *

 **Oh shit. That's not good is it? I would say more about what happened, but I don't want to spoil anything, though long time viewers of my work might be able to guess just who those intruders are, and with that, extrapolate what just happened.**

 **All I'll say right now is that I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	25. Rattled

**Alright and now we start the next chapter. Now, for those who don't know, there were two other chapters prior to this that detailed the events between the last chapter and this one.**

 **So if you don't want to be confused, I'd recommend reading chapters 35 and 36 of Accounts of the Flood Conflicts to get some idea of what happened and just what everyone is reacting to in this chapter. With that said, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Bionicle, Halo, Metroid or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

"You're certain?"

The room was deathly quiet as Samus had given her report. What she had said was not something any of them had wanted to hear, especially now. If another resurgence of the Flood came, there would be no hope of survival.

So, when Samus reported in with the news, it had nearly sent High Command into a full blown panic. Fortunately, her report noted that the fracture the Flood had used couldn't have let them escape on its own, and not even Salem and Dark Samus could've provided enough power to break free.

Only Voporak's time field interacting with the crack had created a portal into the Void, and even that it was too small to allow anything really large to come through, or for the Gravemind to attempt to widen it easily.

"I'm positive." The ex-Bounty Hunter replied. "There's no other sign of them. And without Voporak or another powerful temporal manipulator, they can't come through the same way again."

"And the infestation?" Thrawn asked.

"Completely annihilated."

"You're sure about that?" Mata Nui asked again. He had to. There could be no room for any errors, any mistakes. Not with _them_.

"Absolutely." Samus shook her head. "We scanned the wreckage and every planet near enough for the Flood to have reached before we got to that ship. They're all clean."

"What about Salem and Dark Samus?" Helryx asked.

"There's no trace of them." Samus admitted with frustration. "I blasted my doppelganger back into Phazon particles and Makuta apparently hurled Salem into space. When I tried to find them again, they were both gone."

"Is it possible that Teridax took them?" Thrawn pointed out. "Capturing them for his own purposes?"

"Possible but unlikely." Mata Nui said. "Makuta is arrogant, but hardly stupid. He knows the threat of the Flood, especially now. Nevertheless, we should not make any assumptions." The Republic leader turned back to the ex-Bounty Hunter. "Samus, your mission will continue. We know enough about Dark Samus and Salem to assume that they're dead without proof."

"Understood." Samus' hologram vanished, leaving the trinity of Republic leaders to muse over what she had told them.

"I think we should keep this quiet." Helryx pointed out. "The people of the multiverse have already been scarred enough by the Flood. If we tell them that they could return, we'll be inviting panic across all of reality."

"Agreed." Thrawn nodded. "But our highest ranking officers and other leaders definitely need to hear about this."

"We should also reset our Flood detection network." Mata Nui added. "Discreetly, if possible."

"That will spread our resources thin." Thrawn noted. "And we've already got a lot on our plate as is."

"We're not going to have much choice in the matter." Helryx countered.

"I wasn't disagreeing, merely stating an observation." The Grand Admiral casually said. "We can't afford to ignore this, not with the multiverse so divided."

"There's also Teridax to consider." Mata Nui said. "He's not going to take this threat lightly. Of course," The Great Spirit frowned. "that just makes his plan far more unpredictable now."

...

Teridax was not happy. After the events on the Confederacy ship, he had returned to the leadership and made his displeasure about their little mess quite clear. Now, none of the Confederacy's forces could even blink without Teridax knowing about it.

As for the Makuta, he had returned to his lair to figure out the next step in his plan, specifically in adapting to the new circumstance (as well as check in on his latest experiments, which were proving quite promising). Captain Marvel was a surprise, but ultimately one that could be dealt with. No, it was what had drawn them all to that ship that was far more worrying.

A return of the Flood was not something he had expected, nor desired. Though they had been beaten back and were unlikely to return the same way, Teridax knew that he would have to factor their potential return into his plans.

He had already intended to recover what he could regarding the weaponry based on the Halos. That mission had just jumped up to his main priority. Of course, there was still the matter of actually recovering that technology.

The Halos themselves had all been damaged beyond repair during the Tidal Wave, and while he had access to the data the UNSC had recovered from the Rings before their destruction, it still wasn't enough to help him.

One thing was certain: He needed to go to Republic territory. Not impossible with the continuing conflict, but they would be looking for intruders, and he would be about as welcome there as a Stone Rat infestation.

Fortunately, he had a way to get what he needed. But first, he needed to make a few stops. Teleporting out of his lair, he headed to the staging area where his servants were lying in wait.

"My Makuta." Roodaka bowed her head in a show of subservience, while the rest of them couldn't be bothered.

"I have a mission for all of you." Teridax said, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"About damn time." Voridus muttered.

"What exactly is it that we're doing?" Pavium asked, drawing nods from the rest.

"It's quite simple." Teridax smirked. "We're going to break into Republic territory."

...

 _It really is becoming quite depressing_. Those were Palpatine's thoughts as he looked over the conflict map once more. Getting constant reminders of just how badly outmatched the First Order was against the Republic didn't do anything to remotely alleviate his perpetually bad mood.

At least Makuta and his Rahkshi had taken care of the Jedi-led rebellions in First Order territory, just as he had said he would. Despite his utter hatred for that machine, the Sith Lord couldn't deny the effectiveness of it all, especially with several rowdy planets becoming the exact opposite, with one in particular standing out.

With the help of Makuta's Rahkshi, the First Order had pacified the people of Mandalore. After all, Mandalorian armor became a liability when Magnetism Rahkshi were involved. Furthermore, brutally crushing several Mandalorians to death inside their armor had been a favored method of intimidation.

As if summoned by the Sith's own thoughts, a portal appeared in the middle of his throne room, and the Makuta stepped out in all disgusting glory. Mechanical whirring occurred with every movement, yet Palpatine still had to kneel to this wretched creature.

"What is thy bidding, my master?"

"We have an operation to plan, one that will strike a more direct blow to the Republic." Teridax smirked. "We're going to attack the Ark."

...

It was mid-day on the Normandy when Commander Shepard got a call from an old contact number, someone he hadn't talked to in some time. Nevertheless, upon seeing who it was, Shepard was immediately down in the comm room and answering the call.

"Miranda." The former Cerberus operative looked haggard, which barely marred her nigh-perfect appearance. Nevertheless, it was clear that something was haunting her. "Is everything alright?"

"No, it's not." Miranda's expression was almost pleading. "Shepard, Makuta has my sister." The Commander's blood froze at that statement before he composed himself.

"We'll call for Republic support." He said. "We've got a direct line to Mata Nui, he'd be more than willing-"

"No! That's exactly what he wants." Miranda said. "He wants you to call in as many Republic forces as you can so he can wipe them out in one blow."

"How do you know that?" Shepard asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Because that's exactly what he told me to do. What he told me to say." Miranda looked away, tears running down her cheeks. "And that if I didn't, I'd be sealing Oriana's fate."

"Miranda... I'm sorry"

"Shepard, please." The ex-Cerberus Operative looked back, wiping away the tears. "I know exactly who Makuta is and what he's capable of. But I also know he's arrogant. He believes I'll play his game like a good little puppet, but he's given me more freedom than he should have."

"What do you want us to do?"

"We need to talk in person" She tapped her omni-tool and location data was sent through. "I'm on Ilium. Meet me there."

"I'm assuming you got all that EDI?" Shepard asked the moment the hologram vanished.

"Of course, Shepard." The AI replied. "The Republic has already been informed."

"Any suggestions?"

"For the moment, they suggest that we go meet her." EDI replied. "They can't spare any forces at the moment, but they will come immediately if things go south."

"Alright, set a course for Ilium." Shepard left the comms room. "And tell the team to be ready."

...

An hour later, the ground team was all gathered in the dropship and heading down to the meeting point on Ilium, while the rest of the team and the Normandy hung cloaked in orbit. The dropship itself was also cloaked as Cortez smoothly maneuvered it through Ilium traffic.

"You all know what's going to happen." Shepard said. "With any luck, this should be a simple meeting between old friends, but if it isn't..." He left the thought unsaid, but it was why he had brought, Garrus, Javik and Ventress with him.

"It could easily be a trap." Garrus pointed out again. "That could easily be Teridax impersonating her."

"It's a possibility." Shepard admitted. "But if it really is her, and she's telling the truth, then we need to find out what's happening."

"Commander, we're 30 seconds out." Cortez reported. "Standing by for deployment."

In moments, the four had left the dropship and were making their way to the meeting point, which was the same bar Liara's father used to work at long ago. Shepard led the way, noticing the streets outside seemed rather deserted for the time of day. Pausing at the door, Shepard turned to Ventress.

"Well?"

"She's inside." The Nightsister nodded. "And she's not alone."

Shepard nodded back, feeling relieved. Miranda had wanted to meet at a public place first, and it seemed that wasn't a lie. Palming the hologram on the door, he stepped inside, followed by the other three.

In contrast to the walkway outside, the bar was packed with a fair amount of people. It didn't take long to spot Miranda, who stood up just as they entered the room. Sheaprd moved to meet her, but was stopped by Ventress' hand.

"Commander, something's wrong." The Nightsister's eye widened as she realized the problem. "There are too many people here!"

"What are you talking..." The problem became clear as the illusion faded away.

The crowded bar vanished around themselves and Miranda, leaving behind a ton of bloodstains and bodies. Several other figures materialized, two human women, with holding a staff with two crystals on it, and the other holding a javelin of burning obsidian.

Two heavily armed and armored Jiralhanae also appeared, flanking a black and grey female Vortixx. But all their eyes were drawn to the fourteen foot black and red armored titan standing behind Miranda.

"My apologies, we didn't exactly get to clean up before you arrived." Teridax said.

"EDI, we need backup!" Shepard shouted into his earpiece, but only got static in response.

"I must admit, I am almost disappointed." Teridax continued as the others pulled out their weapons, only for them to be magnetically ripped out of their hands. "Feed a distress signal from your former crew and you come running blindly like a stampede of Kane-Ra."

"Then, Miranda..." One glance at ex-Operative's distraught face told them everything they needed to know.

"I am so sorry, Shepard."

"You lied to us!" Javik snarled, green biotics flaring only for him to get surrounded by a purple aura and lifted aloft by Cyclonis' magic.

"Every word she told you was true." Teridax continued as if nothing happened. "But, I wanted to make sure you'd all come here. That's why I coached her on exactly what to say."

"Why?" Shepard growled. "Why go to all this effort just for me."

"I would think you would already know the answer to that question." Makuta chuckled. "And for the record, getting you is just a bonus."

"You're after the Normandy." Garrus realized. "You jammed our long range comms!"

"To start with." Teridax agreed. "The rest of your AI's systems shall be under my control shortly. Of course, I couldn't do it without the virus Miss Lawson so helpfully transmitted onto your ship with the location data."

"You're not going to win." Ventress said, reaching out with the Force to retrieve her lightsabers, only for Roodaka to blast her with Shadow energy.

"Yes, he is." The Vortixx whispered.

Teridax hit the four Normandy crew members with Sleep, then picked up Shepard's earpiece and shapeshifted himself into a copy of the Commander, calling Cortez for extraction. By the time the pilot realized the truth, it was already too late, and he was bound and gagged with the others as the dropship was flown back to the Normandy.

The hangar bay opened to reveal everybody inside the bay to be unconscious, EDI having lowered the oxygen levels to well below normal thresholds. The AI stutteringly greeted the Makuta personally as he emerged, the virus taking over as intended.

"Excellent work." Teridax turned to his own entourage. "Gather the crew and secure them in the cargo hold."

"Why not just kill them?" Cinder questioned, holding a flame in her hand. "It's not like we need them alive."

"Not yet." Teridax shook his head. "For the moment, they shall remain alive to use as hostages or leverage as required."

"And what shall we do now?" Roodaka asked.

"Contact Palpatine." Teridax said. "Now, the next phase begins."

* * *

 **Well, that just happened. Trust me, things are about to get very interesting in the next chapter. With any luck, you hopefully won't have to wait as long as you all had to wait for this particular chapter.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	26. Raiders of the Ark

**Alright, and so we begin the next chapter. Looking back, I'm starting to realize just how quickly things have been moving and yet, even I can't say how close we're getting to the end of this story. We've still got quite a ways to go, and this next chapter will be proof enough of that. Still, we've got quite a bit to get through, so let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, Star Wars, Mass Effect, Bionicle or anything else referenced in this story.**

* * *

When the Normandy arrived at the Ark, it was immediately greeted by the guns of a hundred capital ships. It seemed that EDI had managed to send a warning before Teridax's virus completely overrode her systems.

They immediately pulled the vessel out of interdimensional space and demanded the Makuta's surrender. Unfortunately for them, Teridax had also factored this possibility into his plan, and seconds later, a massive fleet of First Order ships emerged behind the hijacked Normandy and fired on the Republic fleet.

The space battle immediately became a chaotic brawl. Despite the Republic having less ships available, they still held the advantage with the Ark under their command. Already, massive swarms of Sentinels were rising from the Installation's surface, while more combat oriented variants were also activated alongside the surface based weaponry.

Before the battle even started, it was already clear that the First Order had lost. They may have brought a thousand upgraded warships to the Ark that could briefly hold their own against the Republic ships, but the sheer might of the Forerunner Installation was another matter.

Fortunately, Teridax had no intention of actually winning this fight. It was why he had ordered Palpatine to stay back (though the Supreme Leader had still protested the inevitable loss of this fleet), and why the First Order ships were intended as nothing more than a distraction.

With the Normandy momentarily forgotten, the hijacked stealth ship was sent into a dive towards the Ark's surface. Blasts of energy from both sides filled the viewscreen with a massive light show, as dozens of fighters were shot down or exploded in mid air.

Despite the frigate's stealth systems, the Republic still had the sensors to detect it, and several Republic fighters broke off the battle to try and bring the ship down. "We're taking a lot of fire!" Voridus shouted, his hands working to keep the frigate's rear turrets active and firing on the ships behind them.

"Evasive maneuvers." Makuta ordered. "Bring us down to the surface, as close as possible."

But as the Normandy approached, it started taking fire from the ground, as the Ark's tertiary particle cannons zeroed in on the vessel, catching it in one of the engines and sending a shudder throughout the ship.

"We've been hit!" Pavium shouted. "Brace for impact!"

The Normandy soon crashed in the middle of a large forest, ripping a massive gash through the Ark's artificial surface and scattering trees and other animals in its wake. Teridax, who hadn't been bothered by the crash in the slightest, took a look at the display and was pleased to find that they were only a few kilometers from where they needed to go.

"Everyone up." Teridax ordered, grabbing Cyclonis off the floor and healing her broken legs and arm in a second. "The Republic will be here shortly, we need to move."

In moments, Teridax had the entirety of his team up and leaving the airlock, with the remaining Normandy crew still contained in the cargo hold. Though the others had balked at keeping them alive, the Makuta had insisted upon it, though he wouldn't say why.

"You all know what you have to do." Teridax said, before turning his attention to the two Jiralhanae brothers. "Voridus and Pavium know the Ark better than most, they will be instrumental in your assigned task."

"It will be heavily guarded." Pavium noted. "And there's no doubt the Republic has fortified it."

"Then you will not fail." Teridax snarled. "Our escape hinges on you shutting those defenses off."

"And what about you?" Cyclonis asked.

"I will get what we truly came here for." With those words, Teridax teleported them away, before turning to his true prize.

...

When the Republic had taken control over the Ark, they had made quite a few changes, as befitting the multiversal nature of the superpower. One of the more noticeable changes was to the Ark's translocation network, which was given the additional task and benefit of being able to screen for smaller interdimensional portals.

Any unauthorized portal would be shut down before it had a chance, keeping intruders such as them contained on the Ark. The mission was admittedly fairly simple: head to the Portal network controls and deactivate them long enough for their interdimensional portals to be used to escape.

The drawback was that the facility in question was quite heavily defended, with Republic forces patrolling the grounds alongside Sentinels. Fortunately, the First Order raid provided ample distraction and would keep the Republic occupied enough to prevent reinforcements from arriving.

Currently, the five of them were a short distance away from the first guards, concealed under one of Cyclonis' cloaking crystals. With a moment of quiet, Voridus immediately reaffirmed the plan.

"Listen up." The younger Brute said. "We need to hit this place hard and fast. With any luck, we'll be able to blitz them before they know what's happening." He looked at the Fall Maiden. "Cinder, you're up first."

The Fall Maiden's eye glowed as the weather started to shift, drawing the attention of several guards. In moments, a massive storm had been raised, reducing visibility by several degrees.

"Is something wrong with the weather systems?" One guard asked.

"Possibly." His partner replied. "But given who we're dealing with, I doubt it."

Just before the Zabrak could call it in, he was immediately struck by lightning, while his partner was hit by an energy wheel and turned into a grotesque abomination. The rest of the guards immediately noticed this, sending Sentinel patrols to investigate.

Cyclonis responded by unleashing an EMP wave from her staff, the crystal magic knocking them all out of the sky. This didn't go unnoticed, as a dozen snipers quickly zeroed in on Cyclonis and fired, forcing her to create a shield to defend herself.

The Republic weapons put a lot of strain on her, but Cinder came to the rescue by striking the snipers with lightning, before attempting to do the same to the rest. "Someone take out that weather controller!" The captain shouted, as tanks immediately came into play.

Voridus and Pavium responded with their own fire, the Energized Protodermis made weapons giving them the firepower needed to actually damage the Republic vehicles. This in turn, drew attention to them as an elemental soldier with Plasma powers immediately sent a stream of bolts at them, forcing them into cover.

The soldier then turned his attention towards Cinder, only for a blast of Shadow to knock him off his feet. Closing the distance, Roodaka brutally killed the elemental soldier by breaking his neck with her foot.

She loaded another Rhotuka spinner and fired it at the Captain, turning him into a grotesque creature that immediately turned on the other soldiers. Roodaka was then knocked back as another tank fired at her, only for Cyclonis to blast it apart with a sustained energy beam.

By this point, Cinder had closed the gap and took the chance to rip a path through the remaining Republic soldiers, allowing Voridus to reach the necessary control console for what they had to do.

"Keep them off me!" The young Brute shouted as he deftly worked the controls. He was just finishing up when Pavium noticed a shimmer on the structure above his brother.

"Voridus, above you!"

The warning only came in time for his brother to look up, as a plasma bolt struck him, the blast draining his shields and knocking him on his back. Vordius managed to regain his senses in time to keep the Yautja from plunging his glowing wrist blades into his chest with his own.

Charging up an energy blast from his own blades, Voridus blasted the Predator off him, who managed to flip over and land on his feet. Unfortunately for him, Pavium tracked his landing and blasted him with a grenade.

With green blood splattered all over the rocky ground, the Predator was helpless as Pavium brought his shield down and decapitated him. The older Brute turned to his brother, who was already back at the controls. Around them, the last of the Republic guards were being mopped up by the rest.

"I've got it." Voridus said in elation. "I've shut them down."

"And Republic reinforcements?" Pavium asked.

"For the moment, we're in the clear." Voridus shook his head. "Though we better leave sooner rather than later."

"Then I'll call it in." Pavium activated the link to their leader. "Makuta. Objective accomplished."

...

While their mission was underway, Teridax had immediately used his own teleportation powers (which thankfully were unaffected by the portal blockers with the drawback of not having enough range to leave the Ark) to expedite his progress to his destination.

The destination in question was a Forerunner tower, one that seemed to grow out of the ground as most Forerunner structures were wont to do. It hardly looked all that unique, though Teridax knew the truth: inside was an Archive containing the major technical data on the Halos.

There were defenders of course, both from the Republic and the Ark itself, but they were helpless against the Makuta, and soon he was stepping over the smoking Sentinel debris and bloody corpses as he made his way to his prize.

Teridax ran his hand over the holographic control, his body downloading all the intel he needed from the databanks. But just as he finished and pulled his hand away, the sound of someone emerging from a dimensional rift appeared behind him.

"Hello, brother." Teridax turned to see Mata Nui standing several meters away, his sword and shield out and he was clearly prepared to use them.

"Mata Nui." This wasn't part of the plan. The last thing Teridax needed was to deal with his brother, not now. "What an unexpected... surprise." Mata Nui kept his sword and shield in hand, but surprisingly didn't raise them.

"This doesn't have to end in violence." Mata Nui said. "I don't want to fight you, Makuta."

"Really? Well, that makes one of us."

"I know why you're here." The Great Spirit ignored the jab. "As soon as I heard you were on the Ark, I knew exactly what you were after."

"And what might that be, brother?" Teridax snarled, stalling for time. He didn't bother preparing an attack; if it came down to a battle, the Ignika would make a quick end to this fight. He had no intention of letting his brother get the upper hand, not now.

"The Parasite, Makuta." This actually drew a laugh from Teridax.

"You think I'm scared of the Flood?"

"You're here." Mata Nui countered. "On the Ark, stealing information about a weapon built with fighting the Flood in mind." Mata Nui shook his head. "I know you were on that ship. I know you saw them in action. If the Flood escapes again, it'll mean the end of everything." The Great Spirit took a step forward. "Give up this pointless conflict, Makuta. We can join together as brothers, as we were always meant to be."

Then came the words he needed to hear. "Makuta. Objective accomplished."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, brother."

Teridax hurled a blast of Shadow, striking Mata Nui in the chest and blasting him back. The Great Spirit flipped in mid-air and managed to recover, but by then it was already too late. Teridax vanished through the closing portal.

...

In the end, the raid on the Ark had cost the First Order far more than the Republic, but it didn't matter as Teridax had what he came for. All the Republic could do now was salvage everything from the battle and issue repairs.

The Normandy was one such operation, and to the surprise of the salvage and scout teams, they found every single member of the crew had been alive and restrained this whole time.

Why Teridax had spared them was not yet clear, so they had been kept under quarantine for the time being, in case the Makuta had left behind any traps or other surprises for them. All in all, it was hardly the best day for the Republic.

"Weapons like that in his hands could prove catastrophic." Helryx said at the subsequent meeting. "Unlike us, Teridax would gladly use those weapons without hesitation."

"His escape was my fault." Mata Nui shook his head. "I had hoped that the threat of the Flood would have been able to get him to see reason." His voice became cold and determined. "I won't make that mistake again."

...

With the data from the Ark in his possession, Teridax wasted no time in adding it to the structure. Fortunately, it didn't take long, as the Forerunner technology was something the Monitor was very familiar with. The project was so long close to completion now, his domination within reach. But it was still not the time, not yet.

As for his elite team, their performance had proven sufficient for now. It was clear they would have their uses in the days ahead. For now, he had other tasks for them, allowing the Makuta to return to one of his latest creations.

He was standing in his lab as the stasis tube opened, the form of a Spartan falling out. His armor was already covered in rust and pockmarks, signifying the Makuta's control over the super soldier.

But that wasn't proof the experiment worked. What was proof was the crackle of Force Lightning in one hand and the blue biotic fire in the other. The Makuta was most pleased with this.

Mass production would begin.

* * *

 **Oh shit. That doesn't sound good, does it? Rest assured, there will be time to see Teridax's latest pets in action soon enough, though I can't promise when it'll happen.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	27. Dark Dreams

**Alright, and so we shall begin the next chapter. I'm not going to lie, this is admittedly kind of a filler chapter right now. There will still be some fairly relevant plot details, of course, but not as many as usual. Anyway, let's dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle, Mass Effect or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

A massive crate was hurled through the lines of the defenders, crushing several of them under its weight. The remaining defenders fired wildly in terror, but were gunned down with well placed bursts of plasma fire.

Catching sight of the assailant, an asari commando hurled a warp blast directly at him, but it was countered by the attacker's energy shields. This allowed the rest of the soldiers to get a clear shot on the Spartan, but a biotic sphere had all the rounds slamming against it.

The Spartan countered with Force Lightning, electrocuting several defenders, overloading Kinetic barriers and leaving those undefended writhing on the floor. Several turians escaped unmolested from their flanking position, but a quick Force grab had the cargo container above them crush them all to death.

By the time more First Order stormtroopers made it through into the cargo bay, all that was left to do was mop up. The Spartan already began that task, wordlessly executing the surviving defenders, ignoring their pleas for mercy. Behind his visor, a shadow crossed his eyes.

...

Back in the Supremacy's command center, the First Order generals were watching the footage with undisguised awe. Palpatine was more reserved, but even he couldn't deny that Makuta's latest creations were actually fairly impressive.

The station that had been attacked was one of many belonging to the Republic auxiliary groups, which included the Citadel races that had joined with the Republic post-Tidal Wave. And while they didn't have quite the same level of advancement, it was still enough to make taking the station worthwhile.

The boarding parties failed initially, but adding one of Makuta's new Spartan creations, and the tide changed very quickly. Now, the station could serve as a staging area for the First Order as they attempted to counter-attack back into Republic territory.

"Very impressive." Palpatine murmured. "But I was under the impression that Force-wielders, biotics and Spartan augmentations couldn't work in concert?"

"The Tidal Wave changed more than you know." Makuta replied. "It seems that Dust now working beyond Remnant's atmosphere was not the only alteration to reality throughout the multiverse."

"And these new Spartans," Hux started, his voice excited. "They can be mass-produced?"

"Not quite so easily." Teridax admitted. "Don't expect them to be able to replace your entire army."

"Any amount would be most invaluable." Palpatine admitted. "But how successful could they truly be against the Republic's top agents?"

...

Brutaka shunted the biotic shockwave into another dimension before firing an energy blast that left the Spartan broken and bleeding on the ground. Axonn simultaneously finished off another of these Spartans by cleaving him in half with his axe.

By the time the two Order agents were finished, half a dozen of the Makuta's new soldiers lay dead on the ground, alongside many other corpses of Stormtroopers, Visorak, Rahkshi, and even a couple of Huntsmen.

"Makuta's certainly been busy." Axonn said, cleaning the blood off his axe. "These new Spartans of his have been everywhere this last month."

"And yet we still don't know their source." Brutaka cursed. "The longer it takes for us to cut off his supply, the more this war drags on."

"Then we better get searching." Axonn turned his head when a massive bolt of lightning struck elsewhere in the compound, blasting hole in a transport as it was trying to take off. "Preferably before our other guests smash the whole base to pieces."

It had been a month since the raid on the Ark and the subsequent addition of these new Spartans into the First Order-Republic conflict, during which time, the Force-wielding and biotic supersoldiers had been racking up a not insignificant body count, especially among the Republic rank and file.

The surprisingly high strategic value of Spartans was well known amongst the multiverse, Republic High Command understood the risks of these types of warriors. So, they wanted to cut them off at the source.

Their battlefield was another First Order staging area, the duo of Axonn and Brutaka having been dispatched here to search for any clues as to where and how Makuta was creating these Spartans.

They weren't the only ones sent here, however. In the interest of shock and awe, the Republic had also dispatched two of the powerhouse Avengers to this base as well. Thor and Iron Man had served as the open assault team, the appearance of the Bifrost having been enough to draw the attention of the First Order.

And while Axonn and Brutaka were grateful for the distraction (since it allowed them to portal in relatively unnoticed), the two Order agents would rather not have them level the base.

With that in mind, Brutaka teleported the two of them to the front of the base, where they arrived to see Iron Man blasting a hole through one of the Spartans and Thor recalling Stormbreaker to himself as the transport he brought down lay burning several meters away.

"Subtle."

"Hey, this is what you asked for, Gimli." Tony countered. "You wanted a loud distraction so that you two could sneak in the back."

"Yes, a distraction, not bringing down the entire base." Brutaka countered, pointedly looking at Thor.

"Sorry." Thor did not sound particularly sorry at all. "Maybe you should have specified that."

"What's done is done." Axonn sighed. "Let's just get what we came for. Preferably without leveling the rest of this base."

The four of them made their way to the largest building, where the Command Center was located. First Order stormtroopers and more armored vehicles exited alongside a few Rahkshi, but the quartet made short work of them before entering the building, with Tony cutting a hole in the blast doors with his lasers.

The opposition crumbled when Thor hurled Stormbreaker down the hallway to the actual command center, bringing down all the defenders before they could even fire a shot. Once that was done, Tony flew up to the nearest console and placed his hand over the screen, the nanotech giving his AI access.

"FRIDAY, what have we got?"

"Detecting multiple heat signatures." The AI replied. "They're trying to clean house and delete the data."

"Make sure that they don't, will ya?" Tony asked, as Brutaka launched an energy blast that shattered the control room blast door. "What happened to subtlety?"

"You two already ruined that." Axonn snarked. "No point in trying to hide now."

On one side of the control room were a bunch of technicians, an unarmored commander, and a dozen heavily armed and armored Stormtrooper guards. On the other side were two top agents of the Order of Mata Nui, a super genius in hyper advanced armor, and a God.

The battle didn't even last a minute. Once all the bodies had been moved out of the way, Tony could more properly download the data that the First Order had been trying to delete.

"What do we have?" Brutaka asked, looking over to Tony.

"Some of the data was lost." The superhero admitted. "I may be able to recover it, but it'll take time."

"What about the Spartans?" Thor asked, summoning Stormbreaker to his hand. "Is this where they're being made?"

"No." Tony shook his head. "They received them via dimensional rift. No destination coordinates to backtrack." He answered before they could ask.

"Not surprising" Axonn growled. "Makuta wouldn't be stupid enough to leave that information lying around."

"We'll call this in to Republic Command." Brutaka said. "In the meantime, now we can properly bring this base down."

...

As the conflict continued to rage, the Republic's priority forces became more and more diverted towards the frontlines of their war against the First Order. Despite the Republic's hope for a quick victory, the Makuta's bolstering of the First Order with his own forces made the conflict drag out longer than any of them would like.

Mata Nui was forced to bring out his secret weapon far more often than he would like, using it to isolate and destroy whole First Order fleets. Especially ones that attempted to bypass the frontlines and attack Republic core worlds.

To that end, the core Republic territories were also being equipped with extra defenses and precautions. For instance, the Ark had been moved, to keep a raid like Makuta's from happening again.

Yet despite this, Teridax was still launching raids throughout Republic territories and beyond. Once Mata Nui was finished smashing another First Order fleet, he returned to a Republic High Command meeting, as intelligence put together a list of what was taken.

"Petrusite, what's left of the Separatist synthetic Phazon, a mass relay, a Forerunner Guardian, tech from a Line Installation, Chozo technology..." Ackar listed off, his tone growing worried with each item. "And this was just in the last month?"

"That's what we can confirm." Liara said. "And that's not even accounting for all the other substances we know he's taken before."

"The question is, why?" Coulson interjected. "What could Makuta possibly need with all of this?"

"And that's the thing we still don't know." Helryx growled. "And the last time we couldn't figure out his plans, Teridax ended up enslaving our universe."

"That will not happen this time." Mata Nui said firmly. "One way or another, I'll make sure of that."

"Whatever his plan is, we need to figure it out quickly." Thrawn said. "I've just received a report that Teridax has stolen a Leviathan orb."

...

Teridax returned to his lair with his prize in hand. Before him floated the Forerunner Monitor and several Sentinels, who immediately teleported away to install the component into the rest of the construction.

The last piece of the puzzle had been collected. He had all the materials he needed. Makuta had hoped to acquire more Vibranium beforehand, but on the whole, it wasn't strictly necessary, certainly not now.

"Well?" The Monitor was silent for a moment before answering.

"Installation is a complete success, all systems optimal."

"And it matches the simulations?" Teridax questioned.

"I would suggest taking it slow once you've started. But yes, it matches. We are ready to begin." The Monitor said, as the two of them teleported to an empty chamber with single pod inside. The pod in question was large enough to fit Teridax's Shadow Titan form, and sat among a variety of control interfaces.

"Good." Makuta walked inside the tube. As soon as the tube sealed up, several restraints retracted around his body. "My conquest of the multiverse begins today."

A pair of red eyes darkened. Seconds later, another pair of red eyes lit up. A new body rose from its cradle, sitting up and pushing itself to a standing position as all the Sentinels moved out of its path. They were the only ones to hear Makuta's dark laughter.

* * *

 **Remember at the start when I said this was a filler chapter? Evidently, I changed my mind mid-way through writing this, and now a rather important event has just occurred in that last bit.**

 **That said, we're not quite at the end yet, there's still some ways to go. Teridax will have to test his new toy before he really gets the ball rolling, and there are other events that will still happen that I can't talk about without going into spoilers.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	28. Become Reality

**And so we pick up right where we left off. To recap, Makuta's secret project has finally been finished and activated, and Teridax is certainly eager to take it for a test run.**

 **We'll probably see the events of that test run now, as Teridax slowly but surely reveals what he has to the multiverse and the readers. Also, congratulations to Pkd for correctly guessing what it was. But you've waited long enough, so let's dive in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Bionicle or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Makuta Teridax stood tall, feeling the power flow through him. It had been so long since he felt this kind of strength. A quick diagnostic revealed that everything was working properly, and that all the new additions were working flawlessly, extending his power beyond even his brother's old body.

Energized Protodermis, Dust, Gravitonium, the DarkForce and LightForce, Spirit Vines, Atmosian Crystals, Ancient technology and so much more, all working in concert to create something far more powerful than the individual components.

This would be what won him the multiverse. This body would be the one to grind Mata Nui to dust beneath his feet. Teridax's power was unrivaled, and now it was time to make sure everyone knew it.

...

"Where is Makuta?"

That was the question on the mind of Teridax's more immediate subordinates as they returned to his lair. Roodaka, Cinder, Cyclonis, Voridus, Pavium, Laccabeus and Red Skull had been summoned to meet the Makuta, though he hadn't said why.

In truth, none of them had ever actually seen the exterior of Teridax's main lair before. Whenever they met up with him, it was either through direct interdimensional gates, or buried outposts that contained a teleporter to his lair.

Now, they had been transported directly to their normal staging area, but of the Makuta, there was no sign. There were certainly Rahkshi and Visorak still about, but they ignored the large group as they waited.

"Shouldn't he be here by now?" Cyclonis hissed. "He was the one who called us."

"No idea." Cinder started twirling a flame dagger out of boredom. "Maybe he feels like making us wait."

"Don't worry, I didn't forget you." They all looked around as their leader's voice emerged, but no one could find the source. "I just had to make sure it was working properly."

"Make sure... what was working properly?" Laccabeus asked, looking around. "Where are you?"

"All around you." Teridax chuckled, while Roodaka tensed up.

"It can't be." The Vortixx muttered, a mix of awe and terror in her voice.

"Roodaka knows what I speak of." Teridax chuckled. "Let me show the rest of you what I mean."

Abruptly the seven of them had been teleported elsewhere, where the stars were the only thing they could see at first. They were standing on a large platform of grey metal, that seemed to stretch for several kilometers in every direction.

"Where are we?" Red Skull asked, looking around curiously.

"On Makuta's hand." Was all that Roodaka said.

"What?" Pavium turned to look at Roodaka, who was looking in the opposite direction. "What are you talking about..." That was when they all saw it.

The massive robotic face staring back at them, glowing red eyes making it very clear who was in control, even with the different appearance. To their various degrees of terror, they realized that they were standing on his finger, being held in front of Teridax's face.

They were less than ants in his eyes now, all their power meaning absolutely nothing when all he had to do was crush them under his thumb. Or simply cut off the air pocket he had created on his finger that allowed them all to breathe.

"You should feel honored." Teridax spoke, his voice somehow traveling through the vacuum to them, almost deafening even at quiet tone. "You are the first to witness the magnificence of my true power."

"Then what happens to us?" Cinder's question was meant to be muttered under her breath, but Teridax heard it anyway.

"You will still have a role to play in my new world order." The Makuta said. "But make no mistake. Any petty ambitions you are still harboring against me end here." Teridax turned his head to look out into space. "In the meantime, there's someone else who also needs to learn that lesson."

...

In orbit over this nameless world in the Deep Core, the Supremacy held station over the staging area, alongside a large fleet of ships. In the heart of the ship, Palpatine sat in his throne room, looking over the reports once again.

His reading was interrupted by the arrival of the Makuta, who emerged from another portal in his preferred form. Palpatine dismissed the reports and stood up from his throne as Makuta approached.

"Ah, Makuta." The Sith Lord bowed his head, hatred still burning at having to do that subservient gesture. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"There have been some alterations to the Plan." The Makuta replied. "The Republic's fall will begin today."

"Oh will it?" Palpatine raised an eyebrow. "And yet, this conflict is going no better. The Republic still holds the advantage over us, and we're starting to lose more equipment and personnel faster than we can replace them. Even your new Spartans aren't enough to turn the tide. So tell me, how will this be accomplished?"

"Because now, my little pet." Teridax gripped Palpatine by the neck with his gravity powers. "My main project has been completed." At that moment, the panicked voice of General Hux broke over the intercom.

"Supreme Leader, we're detecting a massive dimensional rift!" Seconds after he said that, the rift in question appeared, just slightly smaller than the barren world below.

"Observe." Teridax dragged Palpatine over to the window and set him down, allowing the former Emperor to get a first hand view of what came out.

There was no need to say any more as the rupture appeared outside the viewport. But it was what came out that stunned the crew of the Supremacy. A massive robotic body, forty million feet in height, flew out of the rift and landed on the planet's surface, crushing a mountain range underfoot.

Slowly, the robot raised its head, before its piercing red eyes gazed directly at the mega Star Destroyer (which didn't even match the size of this robot's fingers), and seemingly at Palpatine himself. The Sith Lord couldn't help but feel a brief spike of terror that refused to go away.

"This is your latest weapon?" He looked at the Makuta in shock and confusion.

"My new form, yes."

"Your... new form?"

"What you have been speaking to is merely a Shadow Clone, an extension of my consciousness and avatar of my power." Teridax explained. "With that power I will bring the Republic to its knees." With a clench of his gigantic fist, the planet's moon was crushed into a singularity.

"What is- what is your command?" Palpatine got to one knee as the Shadow Clone smirked.

"First things first, I need to pass on a message."

...

On a million worlds, the sky darkened with clouds as a pair of red eyes appeared over countless living beings. The bulk of it was in First Order territory, but quite a few Republic worlds were also affected, leaving trillions of people quivering in fear.

"Citizens of the Makutaverse." The voice echoed, cold and menace dripping off every word. "This is the dawn of a new age under my shadows. The First Order is mine, and the multiverse will soon follow. Submit to me, and your new lives will be filled with peace and prosperity. Resist, and your deaths will be beyond agonizing."

...

"Are you getting this?"

"We're getting reports from multiple worlds, including Spherus Magna." Helryx confirmed. "As of this moment, we don't know how Teridax is doing this."

The reports had quickly come in from all over the multiverse, with the Republic quick to respond. Mata Nui learned about it second hand while with his fleet, but as soon as he had, the Great Spirit immediately made contact.

Already fear and mass panic was spreading, the disembodied voice certainly reminding many of the Tidal Wave. Something Teridax was undoubtedly willing to capitalize on in order to cow the masses.

"We need to be ready." Mata Nui said. "Whatever Makuta's plan is, it won't just consist of empty threats."

Those words proved prophetic.

"I know some of you hold the delusions that you can fight against me." The red eyes narrowed. "Allow me to disabuse that notion."

...

Earth-199999

Spider-Man was already swinging in the direction of Avengers Compound as soon as Makuta's voice emerged from the clouds. As such, he was in the perfect position to witness an orbital energy blast obliterate the entire facility.

"Oh God!" Peter picked up the pace and quickly made it to the compound. Or rather the crater that used to be the Compound.

A similar beam hit Wakanda's capital city, overwhelming the force field. Yet another beam struck New Asgard, where the refugees from Asgard's destruction had been prospering and rebuilding.

...

Earth-16

The massive explosion could be seen from orbit as an energy blast struck the Watchtower, shattering it into pieces. Hundreds of debris shards immediately began raining down onto the Earth's surface, most of it falling into the ocean.

Similar orbital strikes were sent at Atlantis and Themyscira, the former briefly visible from the vaporized water before the ocean seeped back in. Already the ground bound superheroes were rallying as best as they could, but the chaos was mounting.

...

Similar strikes happened all throughout Republic territory, as several military bases were annihilated by precise orbital strikes that no one could pinpoint the source of. Planetary shields were overwhelmed by the blasts, and in the case of one Republic world, was crushed down into nothingness by Gravity.

Other brutal methods were used: one planet was shattered completely, another moon was wiped of all life by a neural radiation pulse, and yet another found itself covered in a fast spreading Shadow that withered everything it touched.

Several fleets were also targeted, either hit by unknown energy strikes, crushed by rampant Gravitational fields, or torn apart by errant dimensional ruptures. Any surviving Republic ships were in disarray, and were forced to disengage or be destroyed by the First Order.

And through all this, every attack had been recorded and shown in the sky, next to Teridax's red eyes. "You will submit to my armies, to my rule or share the same fate."

...

Mata Nui had been watching the events unfold on the bridge of his flagship, feeling more and more anger and sorrow at each destructive scene. Teridax's madness had already cost countless lives, and the Great Spirit immediately ordered Republic High Command to find the source.

Strangely, Spherus Magna had yet to be attacked like that, but it wasn't hard to guess that Makuta wanted to make that destruction more personal. But just as Mata Nui was preparing to leave, Teridax spoke up once more.

"And not even you will stop me, brother."

That was the only warning Mata Nui got before the attack struck his flagship, instantly tearing it apart.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. It's fairly short, I know, but what better way to leave the audience wanting more? Rest assured, the story is not done yet, and we still have quite a few things to do yet.**

 **Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	29. Scattered and Reeling

**Alright, now it's time for the next chapter, and if you've read the last one, then you already know things are looking pretty bleak for the Republic. Will things get better for the multiverse at large, or does Makuta have more tricks up his sleeve (trick question, of course he does) to play? You'll just have to keep reading to see.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Bionicle, Halo, Mass Effect, RWBY, Young Justice, the MCU or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

Darth Maul sat in his cell, with nothing but time on his hands. The Force Blockers surrounding his cell had disrupted his connection to the cosmic energy, so he couldn't even pass the time by meditating and feeling the Dark Side flow through him.

He had lost track of time since he had been imprisoned in this highly secure prison, since his Shadow Collective fell to Mata Nui and the Republic. All he had was the familiar daily routine of sleeping, eating and exercise, with nothing but his own memories and rage to occupy his time.

He knew he wasn't alone in this prison. He had heard Atriox being brought in as well not long after him, and it seemed like the Banished had fallen soon after the Shadow Collective had.

The Sith Lord still didn't want to think about it. He had gone from one of the most powerful criminal leaders in the multiverse, to a prisoner in a cold cell with an uncaring guard, with absolutely nothing to his name except boredom.

He almost wished for the Republic interrogations again, just to have something stimulating to occupy his mind. But alas, they had gotten all the info they apparently needed out of him and left the Sith Lord in a cell to rot.

He wasn't sure how long it had been, but the monotony of his time ended with the feeling of the complex shaking from a thunderous impact. Alarms started to blare, and through his door, Maul could make out the sounds of fighting outside.

Whoever broke into this place had to have been powerful, especially if the Republic guards hadn't already stopped them. The fighting seemed to rage on for a while before slowly dying down, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

Then his cell door disintegrated, letting in bright light in such a dark room. Blinking and covering his eyes to allow them time to adjust, Maul's eyes slowly adjusted as the three figures outside his cell resolved themselves into shapes more cohesive than gray blobs.

Two of them were creatures unlike anything he'd seen before; mechanical beasts standing at nine feet tall, each wielding strange staffs. But the third was a Jiralhanae, dressed in heavy battle armor.

"Well, well, well, the great Darth Maul." A familiar voice chuckled. "The 'rat in a cage' appearance is a good look on you."

"Laccabeus?" Maul's surprise outweighed his anger at the insult. "What are you doing here? And what are those... things?"

"We're here to free you." The Shipmaster replied, then jerked his head in the direction of one of the creatures. "As for these... well, they're our master's sons."

"Your master?" Maul blinked when another figure appeared behind Laccabeus, a massive mechanical titan of red and black. "Who are you?"

"I am Makuta." The new arrival said. "And welcome to the winning side."

...

On a distant world, in the remains of several Chozo ruins, a pair of armored beings fought. Missiles and energy bolts streaked between the two, stray shots causing more and more of the Ancient ruins to collapse.

Dark Samus had little reason to care about the damage, especially when one of her shots struck her doppelganger in the chest, causing Samus to recoil in pain. Dark Samus followed it up with a Super missile, but Samus managed to switch to her Morph ball in time, before boosting at high speed into her Phazon Clone.

Dark Samus reeled from the strike, and was too slow to avoid getting caught in a Power Bomb blast, damaging her further. Samus emerged from her Morph Ball and fired yet another blast at her opponent, crippling her even further.

The two enemies had lost track of how many times they had had this dance, how often their fights raged on and on, with Samus usually the victor every time. And yet, Dark Samus always managed to escape certain death every time, even when reduced to nothing more than a cloud of Phazon particles.

Now though, the Dark Hunter was slowly getting worn down. Without the Gravemind's continual supply of Phazon for her, Dark Samus' body couldn't keep sustaining herself, and each subsequent defeat made her weaker every time.

Her enemy had a brief resurgence when the Gravemind broke loose on that Kree ship and provided her with a resupply of Phazon, but the energy wave that killed most of the Flood had also burned that out, and Samus' subsequent fight with her had only exacerbated her doppelganger's problem.

Now, Dark Samus was hanging by a thread, her energy and atomic stability fading with each successful hit Samus made. Knowing that she couldn't win like this, the Phazon clone instead fired a Super Missile into the nearest support beam.

The damage to the load bearing column caused the ceiling to collapse on top of them, with Dark Samus willingly dispersing herself into Phazon particles before it hit. The blue particulates drifted through the cracks in the debris and flew out of the pile of rubble.

The dispersed form of the Phazon clone was out of the room completely when the rubble was consumed by a massive fireball from another Power Bomb, which in itself quickly dispersed and left Samus' Morph Ball intact. The Chozo Hatchling unfurled into her normal form, but Dark Samus was already gone.

The ex-Bounty Hunter started after her doppelganger again when her comms signaled an incoming message. Without slowing stride, Samus let it play, and the voice of Grand Admiral Thrawn came through.

"Samus, we need you to return to Republic space immediately."

"I'm in the middle of something right now." The ex-Bounty Hunter tersely replied. "I have Dark Samus in my sights, and I am not losing her again."

"I'm afraid that will have to wait." Thrawn replied, and that was when Samus registered the tenseness in his voice. "Between the lack of Phazon and your capture of Salem, her threat level has been lowered enough that she'll have to keep for later."

"What happened?" Samus cut to the chase. "And why isn't Mata Nui making this call?"

"Makuta launched a direct attack against Republic space with some kind of superweapon." Thrawn quickly explained. "We're still getting reports but the damage and death tolls are extreme in multiple sectors. Mata Nui's flagship was caught in one of those attacks."

"Is he dead?" Samus' tone was steady, in spite of the icy pool that gripped her heart.

"It's inconclusive." Thrawn replied. "But at the moment, the First Order is capitalizing on this attack. We need every warrior we have, right now." Samus slowed to a halt before looking deeper into the Chozo ruins, her quarry already gone.

"Understood. I'm on my way."

...

By the time Spider-Man had gotten to the remains of the Avengers compound, Vision, Scarlet Witch and Iron Man had dug themselves out of the rubble and were trying to find more survivors. It was Spider-Man who managed to find Rhodey, who's suit had been knocked out of power when Makuta's bombardment had hit.

Fortunately, he was mostly unharmed, but the same could not be said for the others. Ant-Man had been visiting the compound when the attack struck, and so was fortunate enough to be nearby Falcon and Natasha, bursting out of the rubble as Giant-Man with them in his hands.

Unfortunately, both of them had been wounded by the explosion (only surviving due to Republic enhancements), requiring an immediate medivac to Republic territory. As the portal emerged and the two Avengers were taken to a medical facility, all the remaining Avengers could do was hope that they'd be alright.

To make matters worse, bad news continued to pile up as Thor and Black Panther made contact. New Asgard had suffered serious damage from Teridax's bombardment, but fortunately, there hadn't been too many Asgardian casualties.

By contrast, Wakanda's capital had survived the attack with minimal structural damage, but quite a few more civilians had been killed in the process. And now the King of Wakanda wanted some serious payback.

"Well, get in line." The Avengers turned to Nick Fury, who had appeared out of another portal with Doctor Strange. "Teridax launched a simultaneous attack throughout Republic territory." Fury explained. "High Command has managed to pinpoint the source and wants the heavy hitters of our world to help lead a counter assault."

"They can't use their own fleets?" Tony asked, but Fury shook his head.

"Those were the first things he targeted." The spymaster explained. "Mata Nui's ship was one of them."

"Mata Nui? Is he-"

"At the moment, they don't know." Strange spoke up for the first time. "But we can be sure of one thing: this was just the start of Makuta's plan."

"So we need to cut him off before he has a chance to try again."

"And you won't be going alone." The Avengers looked towards the voice to see a woman hovering over them, enveloped in golden energy.

...

On Earth-16, the superhero casualties had unfortunately been a lot more extreme than Earth-199999. The Watchtower being blown apart in orbit had ended up scattering heroes all over the planet. The ones capable of flight in space had done what they could, but the sheer confusion from Teridax's attack had cost a number of lives.

Green Arrow and Blue Devil were two that could be counted among the dead, and those were the ones that could be verified. Others were believed to have been caught in the atmosphere and burned up on re-entry, if the vacuum of space hadn't already killed them.

Meanwhile, Atlantis and Themyscira had also suffered severe losses. The former had managed to endure the bombardment better due to the ocean depth, but civilian casualties had been extreme. The home island of the Amazons had suffered even worse effects, as most of their structures lay in ruins and a not insignificant number of Amazons were dead.

As the UN and the League moved to assist in search and rescue, the heads of the Team and League were discussing what to do next with Republic High Command. The discussions had mostly consisted of reporting of what had happened on their Earth, and Republic space. Then the conversation shifted to a counterattack.

"You can't be serious." Nightwing crossed his arms. "This is your best plan? Charge in with no idea as to what we're facing?"

"I'll admit, it's not ideal." Tahu replied. "But between Makuta's attacks and the First Order pressing in on our borders, we need to regain the initiative, before Teridax does that again."

"What about the Republic fleets?" Captain Atom asked. "Will we get any naval support for this mission?"

"I'm afraid not." Tahu said after a moment of looking it over. "Our reserve fleets were spared, but all of them are in the process of keeping the First Order out. That's not to say you won't have any support, however. The Avengers are also looking for some payback."

"I don't like this." Nightwing said after a moment. "We shouldn't be going in with so little data."

"Truth be told, I agree." Tahu sighed. "But without Mata Nui, morale is already plummeting. We need to do _something_. If whatever this is is too much to handle, don't try to keep fighting. We've already lost enough as is."

...

Teridax laughed as his newfound vision gave him the clarity to see so many Republic strongholds in run. The First Order and his own armies were picking through the bodies of so many, or capitalizing on their advantage against other bases before the inevitable Republic counterattack.

His agents had launched a direct assault against several Republic prisons, and from their reports (and his own remote presence), he knew that his armies were only going to grow stronger with the help of the Shadow Collective and Banished leaders at his command. Though the Republic wasn't going to take this lying down.

Already fleet battles were being waged between the Republic and First Order, the former impressively quick to respond to such a surprise assault. Of course, it wouldn't matter in the long run, not when he had control over this form, but for the moment, he held off and waited for the direct counterattack against him.

It was obvious that the Republic would be able to trace his position once the bombardment began, but rather than relocating, the Makuta decided to wait them out. He really wanted to test the limits of his true form.

On another matter, there was the subject of Mata Nui. Teridax had specifically chosen to attack his flagship upon locating it, but so far, there hadn't been anything to confirm the Great Spirit's death.

Truth be told, Teridax had hoped his brother had survived. Not out of sentiment, but because he wanted for Mata Nui to know jut how futile it was to fight him, before Teridax allowed himself to enjoy crushing Mata Nui's last spark of hope himself.

He would find out soon enough.

...

Mata Nui awoke in the middle of a debris field, gasping for air where there wasn't any. Activating his own elemental control over Air quickly changed that, allowing him to create a bubble of air around himself and survey the damage done.

It wasn't a pretty sight. His flagship was in pieces, many of them still molten and glowing. Various bodies were drifting through the void, utterly lifeless from Makuta's attack. The Great Spirit was certain that the only reason he hadn't joined them was because of the Mask on his face.

Sparing a moment to mourn the fallen, Mata Nui immediately summoned his blade and wasted no time in creating a portal for him to enter. He emerged in a very familiar chamber, with control systems around him and a niche for the Mask of Life.

He knew that he would have to bring out the big gun, but not quite yet. First, he needed a situation report. Keying up the communications link, the Great Spirit connected to Republic High Command, who were already in a meeting.

"Mata Nui?" Ackar was the first to speak, his shock and relief palpable.

"Thank the Great Beings you're alive." Kiina said, those words alone betraying her own joy at seeing him again.

"I'm afraid our reunions will have to be cut short." Mata Nui said, turning to Thrawn. "What's the situation?"

"It's not ideal." The blue skinned Grand Admiral called up a holographic map. "Makuta has decimated many of our fleets and military installations, and the First Order is pressing the advantage."

"Did you manage to trace the source?"

"We've identified the location, but not what actually caused the attacks." Helryx replied this time. "The recon ships we sent to the location didn't report back."

"What steps are we taking?" Mata Nui asked, frowning at that piece of bad news.

"We've dispatched the heavy hitters of Earths 16 and 199999 to the location in question." Thrawn replied. "The casualties from the attacks on the Avengers and the Justice League have fortunately been lower than they could've been."

"But what about you?" Helryx asked. "Where are you?"

"Aboard our secret weapon." Mata Nui replied, already activating the necessary equipment. "Have the League and Avengers already left?"

"They're in transit." Thrawn replied.

"Send me the coordinates." Mata Nui pulled off the Ignika. "I'll meet them there."

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. Boy, I just keep leaving you all on cliffhangers, don't I? Rest assured, we're going to find out what happens in the next chapter, and trust me, it's going to be good.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	30. Bringing the Party

**Alright, and now we shall begin the next chapter. This where we'll have a big showdown, but it's not the final chapter or final battle, not yet. That will definitely come later. For now, let's just dive right in.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, Young Justice, the MCU or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

*Flashback*

Mata Nui watched from the observation deck of the ship as the orbital platforms began to take shape. The sight certainly had an awe-inspiring feel, seeing so many species working together in harmony.

Below them was the world of Spherus Magna, where even from here the Great Spirit could get a good view of the islands that had been created in the Great Sea, including one that was almost an exact mirror of the island that had been his namesake.

And already there was work being done on those islands, as well as mining facilities to dig up any remaining Energized Protodermis under the planet's crust (without shattering it this time). Further out into the solar system, ships were already collecting the clouds of Energized Protodermis as well.

It had taken a lot of convincing and support from Mata Nui to get the Agori and Matoran Universe inhabitants to agree to this new arrangement. It was helped by the familiarity with the man in question, as well as his promise to keep any interference to the local inhabitants to a minimum (hence creating these new islands).

But in the end, Mata Nui was confident that was a good decision, and from what he had seen so far, that confidence was paying off. He kept his eyes on the view outside the observation deck, even as a pair of footsteps approached.

"Well, what do you think?" Mata Nui turned to his companion, who was looking at him expectantly.

"It's certainly impressive... Supreme Commander."

"Not you too." The human groaned. "I don't know why everyone insists on calling me that."

"Well you are the founder of a brand new form of government in the multiverse."

"True enough, I suppose." The Supreme Commander sighed. "To think, it really doesn't feel like that long ago when we first met."

"I can remember that day quite well." Mata Nui agreed. "You've certainly changed a lot since then."

"Speaking of which: Thanks for letting us use Spherus Magna as the capital." The Supreme Commander said. "And thanks for, well, everything, really."

"Everything?"

"You know what I mean." His friend chuckled. "For helping me when I first arrived here. For teaching me. And sticking around for all of this."

"There's no need to thank me for that." The Great Spirit replied. "I am more than certain you would've been able to find your way without my help."

"Well, I wanted to say it anyway." The Supreme Commander replied. "Especially since I have a gift for you."

Mata Nui's confusion was clearly shown on his face, especially when the Supreme Commander pulled out his sword and opened a dimensional rift. Then, the human tossed the sword to him, which the Great Spirit deftly caught out of the air.

"You're giving me your sword?" The Supreme Commander paused at that.

"Right, I suppose I have two gifts for you." He chuckled. "But seriously, you can keep that. It's not like I need it anymore, not after that Energized Protodermis bath."

Mata Nui certainly recalled that quite well, especially when his companion had emerged screaming. Unlike many others, all the Energize Protodermis did to this man was accelerate the evolution of his powers, to the point that not even the Ignika could reverse the changes. His friend... had not taken that very well initially. Shaking out of those memories, Mata Nui followed his companion through the rift.

The emerged inside an enclosed room, filled with a variety of control interfaces. In the center of one wall sat a niche that seemed designed to hold a Kanohi mask, if one was properly placed there. Mata Nui looked around in confusion.

"Where are we?" The Great Spirit asked, turning to his smiling companion.

"Your gift." The Supreme Commander replied. "Let me show you."

A hologram appeared in the center of the room, showing where they were and more importantly, just what structure they were standing in. Mata Nui's eyes widened at the sight, and he turned back to his old friend.

"You mean this is-"

"All for you." The Supreme Commander replied. "I took the liberty of adding a few things, as well as coding it only for you. The Ignika will help power this if needed, and you can come and go as you please." His voice lowered just a little bit. "I know you miss it sometimes. You don't have to make it permanent, but it's here when and if you need it."

"Thank you." Mata Nui said after a moment. "This means a lot to me." The Supreme Commander walked up and clapped Mata Nui on the shoulder.

"That's what friends do."

*Flashback end*

...

It didn't take long for the Republic to find him. Though destroying the recon ships they sent would certainly allow him to keep the element of surprise, at least for the time being. Not that he really needed it, of course.

His attack had certainly thrown the Republic into disarray. Already his forces were taking control of Republic territory, with his new Spartans leading the charge in many regions.

That's not to say that things had gone completely according to plan. There had been more survivors among the Avengers and Justice League than he had expected, though he really wasn't surprised.

He also hadn't targeted Doctor Strange, mainly because the Sorcerer Supreme still possessed the Vahi, something Teridax was eager to claim again. The Makuta hadn't wanted to lose the Doctor's knowledge of where it was, or worse, destroy the Mask. Even if its effect only stayed within a single universe, that was still a universe denied to him.

Speaking of which, it seemed that they were at last making their move. Teridax's sensors detected the interdimensional portal immediately, a mere twenty thousand kilometers from where he was standing.

And out of the rift shot several heroes from Earths 16 and 199999. Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Thor, Iron Man, War Machine, Captain Atom, Vision, both Captain Marvels, Icon, Rocket, Wonder Girl and Blue Beetle were the ones who emerged. The Makuta could see several sets of eyes widen upon seeing him, but none of them even hesitated as they all flew towards him.

Teridax couldn't help but laugh at the paltry resistance sent against him. They were barely worth his time: a single pulse of neural radiation would wipe those heroes out before they could even get close.

But a quick death wouldn't be suitable enough for this. He intended to break them, humiliate them, and show the multiverse just how futile it was to fight him. What better way to start by taking down some of its most powerful heroes?

"Ah, the great heroes of the Republic." His voice echoed through void and into their minds. "The Republic certainly sent its best. Or what's left of them anyway."

None of the heroes rose to the bait, instead, they just started accelerating. Teridax responded simply by firing off a blast of energy from his hand, amplified by Spirit Vines and Crystal magic. The energy blasted them away from each other, all except for Carol Danvers, who seemed to absorb the energy as it struck her.

As soon as the beam stopped, she immediately retaliated with a massive blast of her own, which actually staggered the Makuta slightly, though it only drained his shields by 0.2%. As Carol flew closer, Teridax spoke again.

"I must admit, that was almost impressive." Abruptly, Carol dropped straight to the planet's surface, the Gravitonium and Gravity Dust enhanced Mass Effect and Constraint fields enough to override even her abilities. "But you'll have to try harder than that."

"Gladly."

While Teridax had been busy dealing with Captain Marvel, the rest of the heroes had recovered and closed the distance. The Makuta responded with another energy blast, but this time only a few of the heroes were caught in the blast, while the rest closed the gap until they were inside Teridax's reach.

Thor and Earth-16's Captain Marvel immediately combined their lightning into Iron Man's suit, which amplified the energy and allowed Tony to immediately send it striking into Makuta's chest.

While this was happening, Superman, Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl and Icon immediately flew at Teridax's face and punched as hard as they could. The combined blows caused Teridax's shields to flare and for the robot to actually take a step back.

Superman managed to get in behind him then, intending to start battering away at the Makuta's body beyond his reach. Unfortunately for him, several turrets appeared on the robot's back and began firing off Red Sun energy at a rapid pace, each bolt striking and rapidly draining the Kryptonian's energy before Rocket stepped in to shield him.

This was repeated all along the Makuta's body, with point defense turrets activating and firing on the heroes who had hoped that they could stay out of Teridax's reach and hands.

Blue Beetle, Iron Man, War Machine, Danvers and Captain Atom immediately returned fire with their own powers and weapons, slagging a few of the turrets with sustained fire. This only made them bigger targets, and the turrets focused their fire on them.

"Did you actually believe you could stop me like this?" Teridax snarled as the fire rate increased, before realizing that Vision and Martian Manhunter were nowhere to be seen. "Ah, clever."

The Martian and android had flown lower onto Teridax's body, attempting to phase through the thick armor plating. Teridax responded by shifting the armor's density and electrocuting the two as they attempted to pass through.

After ejecting both of the unconscious beings into space, J'onn's telepathic communication faded, causing the coordination to of the heroes to fumble, but more importantly, allowing Teridax to truly see what they were doing.

"How cute." Makuta responded by telepathically lashing out at all the space heroes, before gripping them with Gravity and sending all of them to the planet's surface in a daze. "You actually believed that I wouldn't notice?"

...

As soon as the portal opened outside the robot, a telepathic message was sent, and some time later, another portal opened inside the robot. Spider-Man, the Flash, Impulse, Superboy, Miss Martian, Scarlet Witch, Nightwing, Beast Boy, Ant-Man, Wasp, Bumblebee, Zatanna, Doctor Strange and Loki emerged into the interior, finding themselves in a rather large and empty chamber.

There was a brief moment of tension as the heroes waited for any sign that Makuta had detected their arrival, but there was nothing. The exterior attack, plus the combined magic of Zatanna, Loki and Doctor Strange had successfully hidden the infiltration team from Makuta's sight.

 _I can't believe that worked._ Wasp thought. _Side note: this mind link still feels really weird._

 _Can we really be certain this will work?_ Ant-Man asked in a whispering tone. _Especially with Mr. 'God of Mischief' here?_

 _I can hear you, little one._ Loki replied causing Scott to flinch.

 _We need to get this done._ Nightwing thought, bringing everyone to the task at hand. _Will the spells hold?_

 _Not forever._ Strange replied. _He's bound to notice, so we better make this quick._

 _Flash, Impulse, you're up._ The two speedsters nodded and vanished, returning several seconds later.

 _Well, Teridax has definitely made some modifications to the design._ Barry quickly elaborated. _A lot more armor plating and a lot less islands or nature to hide in._

 _So where are we going?_ Scarlet Witch asked.

 _Something that definitely looks like a power core._ Impulse replied. _We take it out, and hopefully this hunk of junk falls with it._

 _Then we need to hurry._ Zatanna said. _We don't have much time._

 _All too true._ Everyone froze as the coldly familiar voice made itself known over the mental link. _As a matter of fact, you're all out of time._

 _I think he knows we're here._ Spider-Man thought, rather unnecessarily.

"Move!" Nightwing shouted, but it was already too late. All the doors closed in the chamber, leaving the heroes cut off from escaping.

"You actually believed that I wouldn't notice?" A hundred Rahkshi appeared around them. "Allow my sons to show you the exit."

Strange said nothing, instead gesturing as the necklace he wore opened, with green-orange light appearing from it and the mandalas around his wrist. Time slowed to a near standstill as the Vahi unleashed its power, while leaving the heroes completely unaffected.

"Go right now!" Strange said, opening portals around them. "I can't keep this up for long!"

There was an instant of hesitation before the heroes entered the portals, scattering into different groups in different parts of the robot before Strange was forced to stop using the mask before he lost control of its power.

The moment Time resumed, Strange was immediately struck by a blast of energy from the ceiling and all the portals snapped shut. The Rahkshi looked around in confusion, but it didn't take Makuta long to figure out what happened.

"Very clever." Strange briefly waved his arms again before Teridax increased the gravity and had the Doctor pinned to the ground. "I was wondering where you had hidden the mask."

A shadow clone of Makuta's Titan form appeared over Strange and ripped the Eye of Agamotto off his neck, drawing a pained shout from Strange. Teridax's mask smirked as he looked at his prize. That smirk instantly vanished when the Eye and Mask disappeared in his hand.

"No!" The Shadow Titan turned its glare towards Strange. "What did you do?"

"A simple spell that sent the Mask beyond your reach." Strange replied, struggling against the crushing force of gravity.

"Your efforts are in vain." Teridax growled. "Just like your pathetic attempt to save your comrades and stop me."

The Shadow Titan vanished as a pair of Rahkshi moved in, lightning crackling off their staffs. The Sorcerer Supreme felt extreme pain before everything went dark.

...

Scarlet Witch and Loki emerged into another hallway, and were immediately beset upon by Rahkshi. Wanda crushed several together with her telekinetic powers while Loki felled another five with daggers to their Kraata.

"I knew this was a bad idea." The God of Mischief muttered.

"You went along with it." Wanda countered, as she ripped a vital looking machine off the wall and crushed the last Rahkshi with it. "You openly volunteered in fact."

"Well, now I'm regretting it."

"As you should."

Teridax's words were the only warning they had before the walls struck them with Shadow energy.

...

Ant-Man, Bumblebee and Wasp flew through the corridors of the robot, the former being carried by the latter. For the moment, they had seemed to avoid detection, and the trio of size shifters hoped to keep it that way as they made their way towards what they hoped was a vital component.

"You know, I really wish Hank installed wings on this thing." Scott muttered, as Hope smiled behind her helmet.

"And I just wish we had more intel to go on." Bumblebee said with annoyance. "We don't know a damn thing about this bot, which means we have no idea what it takes to bring it down."

"It's not like we had any good options here." Hope sighed. "But yeah, this was not a well thought out plan."

The group approached a gap in the plating of the hall, and could see some sort of bright light at the other hand. A brief scan told them all that they needed to confirm about it.

"I think we just found one of the LightForce conduits." Bumblebee said, as the trio flew through the gap. "Looks like Teridax cut a few corners when building this."

But as soon as they flew through the gap, both sides sealed up completely, leaving the small individuals stranded in the gap, with metal too thick for either Wasp or Bumblebee to blast open.

"Or not." Scott lowered his head slightly.

"Did you really think you could hide from me?"

Arcs of electricity erupted from the walls, unerringly striking the bug-themed heroes.

...

"Move!" Spider-Man shouted, even as his Spider-sense and reflexes had him backflipping to avoid the energy bolt that erupted from the wall.

Unfortunately, Nightwing and Zatanna weren't quick enough to avoid the blasts of Shadow, leaving Peter to keep avoiding the energy bolts as they kept shooting at him. But just as he was about to land on the floor again, it abruptly opened underneath his feet, leaving him falling through the sudden pit that instantly sealed itself when he was up to his waist.

Spider-Man tried to free himself, but a blast of lightning quickly put an end to that.

...

The Flash and Impulse were ultimately the hardest for Makuta to deal with, their speed letting them avoid most of the energy bolts and security Rahkshi, their ability to phase letting them bypass any walls or locked doors, and their willingness to smash whatever looked important contributing to that difficulty.

Unfortunately, even they couldn't keep this up forever, especially when he affected them with his Slowness power. With them now visible, Teridax wasted no time in creating stasis fields around the Speedsters, imprisoning them.

...

Superboy, Miss Martian and Beast Boy had emerged from the portal only to find that an army of Visorak were there waiting for them. The combined power houses managed to escape from that trap when M'gann phased them all through the floor.

Unfortunately, they simply ended up in another hallway just like all the rest. It seemed that Teridax wasn't too keen on letting anyone find their way around in his new body so easily. This was demonstrated when the room darkened and bolts of Shadow erupted from the walls, striking them and knocking them unconscious.

...

With the infiltration defeated, Teridax expelled the intruders from his body via teleportation, throwing them haphazardly on the ground of the planet, scattered like their comrades that attempted to attack the exterior of his body.

Teridax couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh, the unconscious or semi-conscious heroes now helpless and broken at his feet. And with his new ability to contact millions of worlds, the rest of the multiverse could see it too.

"Behold, the greatest the multiverse has to offer." Makuta said, knowing that trillions had seen these powerful individuals get tossed aside by him. "Aliens, Legends, Heroes and Gods."

"This is where you all belong." He raised a massive foot over the downed forms of his adversaries. "Under my heel!"

"That's enough, Makuta!"

A massive blast of energy sent Makuta flying back, having one foot in the air throwing him off balance. On the other side of the planet, a second robot landed, almost a mirror image of the first with the exception of glowing green eyes as opposed to red.

Teridax cut that feed, but not before the multiverse had seen that blow land. While Makuta recovered from the unexpected fall, the other robot waved its hand, and portals appeared under every hero from two Earths, teleporting them all to safety.

"I was wondering when you'd show up, Brother." Makuta chuckled as he pushed himself off the planet's surface. "You certainly couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"You leave me no choice." Mata Nui replied. "I will not let you continue this madness."

Teridax didn't respond, instead simply hurling an energy blast at his brother's chest, catching him off guard and sending the Great Spirit flying this time, though Mata Nui recovered just in time to absorb the subsequent energy blast with his shields.

"When was the last time you dusted that off? The Tidal Wave?" Makuta shook his head. "Pathetic. You could be ruling all of reality, and instead you hide your true power like the coward you are."

"Give it up, Makuta." Mata Nui said simply, ignoring the jab. "This battle will not be like the one for Bara Magna."

"You're right." Energy gathered in Makuta's hand. "This time, you will be the one who falls!"

Makuta hurled another energy beam at Mata Nui, striking his brother head on. But an energy shield absorbed the damage, and Mata Nui was quick to retaliate with a much stronger beam of energy, which caused Teridax's own shields to flare.

The two sides traded fire with each other, with neither of them quite ready to push the full limits of their power. Truth be told, Teridax hadn't expected Mata Nui to have a body of his own, and needed to know just what it was capable of.

Deep level scanning wasn't working, as something was blocking Teridax's sensors. Which would explain how he hadn't noticed Mata Nui's arrival. But from their combat prowess alone, it seemed that the two of them were fairly evenly matched, unlike the fight for Bara Magna.

Though on further reflection, maybe not quite the same. Teridax noted that his offensive firepower was marginally greater than his brother's, but it still wasn't an overwhelming enough advantage, and it was compensated by the fact that Mata Nui's defenses were more powerful.

If it came down to it, the Makuta couldn't be completely sure whether or not he would win a full blown fight like this. Especially not right after the previous bout with those superheroes.

"Very impressive." Teridax said after taking yet another blast. "That's certainly more impressive than the piece of junk you used to have."

"The same one you emulated?" Mata Nui countered, dodging another blast before continuing to speak. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it? Raiding Spherus Magna, stealing all that technology, all those substances. It was just to do the exact same thing you spent a hundred millennia doing the first time."

"I'll admit, it wasn't my first choice." Teridax shrugged, their battle briefly halted for the moment. "I was hoping to collect the Infinity Stones before I found out what happened to them during the Tidal Wave."

"And all for nothing more than power and conquest." Mata Nui shook his head sadly. "You could be capable of so much more."

"And you're too weak to stop me." Teridax raised his hand just as Mata Nui raised his.

They fired, their blasts connecting in mid air and creating a large explosion that blasted off a large portion of the planet below. When the energy cleared, Mata Nui was surprised to find Teridax vanishing through a dimensional rift.

"Don't worry, Mata Nui. We'll most certainly see each other again." Those were the last words Mata Nui heard from him before the portal closed completely.

...

"He cut and ran?" Coulson asked, re-reading the report of events. "Just like that?"

"He knew he was outmatched." Samus replied, looking back to the hologram of Mata Nui's robot form. "So he's going to try a different strategy."

"And we can't let that happen." The Great Spirit replied. "We need to hunt him down and destroy him."

"That's certainly easier said than done." Helryx sighed. "He'll be anticipating that, and with the First Order still bearing down on our borders, we don't have any ships to spare in that task."

"We may not necessarily need them." Thrawn countered, with a holoscreen of the battle in hand. "If we had properly coordinated our efforts, the combined abilities of Mata Nui and the heroes of both Earths could have brought him down, or at the very least crippled his body beyond repair."

"A mistake we're not going to repeat." Tahu shook his head. "There's also the matter of what happened to the Vahi."

"Teridax doesn't have it." Doctor Strange said, walking out of a portal and briefly drawing several guns aimed at him before Mata Nui gestured for him to continue. "I sent the Mask forward in time, to keep it out of his reach. With any luck, it should be back within a year."

"I hope you're right, Doctor." Thrawn's eyes narrowed. "In the meantime, I may have an idea that could help us."

...

Palpatine returned to his throne room, his anger and annoyance both lesser and greater than it had been previously. On one hand, Makuta had actually made good on his word, their current takeover of the Republic actually slowly but surely grinding them down.

Now though, his mood was more aggravated by the fact that he had to work with his former apprentice and the Banished again, as the Makuta's agents had broken Atriox and Darth Maul out of Republic prison.

Asking him to play nice with his former apprentice was aggravating to both parties, and Palpatine was certain that the Makuta knew it. Still, it wasn't an insurmountable obstacle in the grand scheme of things, but once again, the Sith Lord dreamed of a moment where he could cast aside his subservience to that wretched machine and tear it apart for the scrap metal.

He quickly stamped those thoughts out when he saw the Makuta's avatar standing in his throne room, arms behind his back and clearly waiting for him. If Teridax had heard any treasonous thoughts, he gave no sign, instead turning his glare to Palpatine.

"About time you returned." The Makuta's eyes narrowed, causing Palpatine to get to one knee.

"What is your bidding, my master?"

"Mobilize everyone." Teridax ordered, his gaze turned to the stars. "It is time to end this."

* * *

 **Pretty much. We are definitely approaching the end of this story, or at least the climax anyway. I'm not sure how many chapters are left, but trust me, the final battle will be begin, if not in the next chapter, then in the one after it. Afterwards... well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.**

 **With that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	31. Setting the Stage

**Alright, and the next chapter is about to begin. Can you feel the tension? Because I certainly can. Things are definitely going to come to a head in this chapter and the next, but as for how and why? Well, you'll have to read on to find out.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, Star Wars, Halo, the MCU, Young Justice, or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

The news was grim. Reports from Republic spies all over First Order territory had reported that armies were being transferred, fleets were being recalled to unknown locations, leaving behind token forces to protect their bases.

This painted a very grim picture for Republic High Command: the First Order was mobilizing for a massive strike against the Republic, in unprecedented numbers. And with Makuta leading the assault, this had the potential to be the make or break factor of the entire war.

Fortunately, Republic medical tech ensured that the heroes were back on their feet and quickly. But it wouldn't mean much if they couldn't find where Teridax and his powerful body had gone.

"We have agents everywhere in First Order territory." Helryx confirmed, shaking her head in frustration. "And we still have no confirmed sightings."

"Unsurprising." Thrawn noted grimly. "He's not going to choose the most obvious hiding spot."

"And if we don't do something about that, he can just strike our forces with impunity." Ackar muttered.

"You know, I think we're looking at this the wrong way." All eyes went to Tony Stark's hologram. "Instead of trying to hunt him down, we should find something to draw him out."

"That's easier said than done." Nightwing countered. "He's not likely to fall for that, not after our previous trap."

"Actually, he may have a point." Helryx replied, nodding in Tony's direction. "I've seen Teridax in a similar mindset before. With his power increased, so too did his arrogance."

"Except he's going to be on guard." Kiina pointed out. "Especially after Mata Nui kicked his butt."

"Then I suppose I'll have to make myself an enticing target." The Great Spirit said, drawing a few wide eyes. "I'm the one he really wants dead, after all." He explained. "The opportunity to take me out of the picture will be too good to pass up, even for him."

"That's still only one problem." Nick Fury said. "Even if we took that body out of the equation, the First Order still outnumbers ours by a significant margin."

"Numbers have never been a guarantee of success." Thrawn countered. "That said, I do agree. We need an edge of our own. Something Teridax wouldn't expect."

"I believe I may have a suggestion for that." Tony said after a moment.

...

The offensive had begun. All across Republic territory, Makuta's armies landed, backed up the fleets of the First Order. Several of the most important planets were targeted first, to keep them busy.

On Earth-16 and 199999, the Bending Earth, Atmos and more, Rahkshi and Visorak landed alongside First Order soldiers. Teridax's Spartans were also present in much lower numbers.

The Republic forces and the native heroes fought with everything they had, engaging Teridax's forces in orbit and on the surface. The Makuta let them, knowing that the tide of numbers would inevitably overwhelm them.

Besides, he had a much more personal prize in mind. Spherus Magna, the sight of his first defeat, would become his new throne world as he spread his conquest to the rest of the multiverse. After he razed the planet, of course.

Still there was one last thing he needed to take care of. As long as Mata Nui still had that body, the Makuta still had a potential threat. Once his brother was convinced to show himself to stop all this conflict, then Teridax would make sure he was dealt with.

And speaking of which, that time was now. As Teridax watched from thousands of perspectives as his forces lay waste to the Republic, a transmission made itself known to him, the voice a familiar one.

"Makuta! I know you can hear me, brother." The fury in Mata Nui's voice might have even terrified Teridax many millennia ago. That day had long since passed. "We have a battle to settle, once and for all. Come and find me."

The transmission ended with a set of coordinates, causing Teridax to chuckle at his brother's painfully obvious trap. Of course, he would definitely go... after sending a package first.

...

Mata Nui waited in the abandoned star system, scanning for any sign of dimensional portals that Teridax might use. And while he did this, he was also keeping his awareness on the rest of the Republic forces throughout the multiverse.

They were holding as best as they could, taking on First Order fleets and armies, which were backed up by Makuta's own creations. But casualties continued to mount, and even though the First Order generally needed an average of 5 to 1 odds for success against the Republic, Teridax had no concerns about throwing them into the meat grinder.

It was clear that the old adage held true: cut off the head of the snake and the body would die. Teridax needed to be removed from the equation if they were to succeed, preferably with Palpatine also taken out in the process.

This trap would work. It had too. Mata Nui's musings were interrupted when another dimensional rift opened, drawing all his attention to it as he waited for his adversary to emerge.

But instead of Makuta and his body, a small spherical device was deposited into the system. Mata Nui only had time to scan it, his eyes widening at what he found before the system lit up.

...

Teridax emerged into the solar system, the combined explosion and attenuation pulse having annihilated the gravity generators that Mata Nui had set up on the planets in this system.

Mata Nui himself had also taken a beating, if the damaged body and flickering eyes meant any thing. Teridax flew over to the drifting body and chuckled as his brother helplessly tried to move.

"I am disappointed, brother, truly." The Makuta said, grabbing Mata Nui's shoulder. "I thought your toy would be stronger than this. Of course, it's cute that you actually believed your little trap could contain me."

With those words, Teridax punched a hold directly through Mata Nui's chest, grabbing the Ignika in the process. The body's green eyes flickered out as Teridax held the Mask between his index finger and thumb.

"You've lost, Mata Nui." Red eyes stared into an empty mask. "But you may rest assured that you will see your friends very soon."

And with that, Teridax crushed the Mask beneath his fingers, until nothing but dust remained. Looking over the drifting body in contempt, Teridax triggered another dimensional portal and left the system.

...

"Did it work?"

"He fell for it, hook, line and sinker."

"I can't believe it was that easy."

"Well it really wasn't. Creating all of that, just to see it get destroyed, that would certainly have been a waste if it wasn't the point."

"Still, you'd think he'd be more suspicious."

"I gave him what he desired, the one thing he wanted to see. His arrogance took care of the rest."

"And we're sure we know where he's going next?"

"Positive. He'll want to gloat, and what better way than by gong there?"

"And we'll be ready for him."

"Indeed. I'm already on my way. Bring in the rest."

...

Things were rather busy on Spherus Magna, especially with the war going on. But despite that, things were also somewhat quiet. Most of the Republic's greatest warriors, including Toa and the Order of Mata Nui, were scattered across the multiverse meeting the First Order and Makuta's army head on.

As such, when the Shadow Clone avatar of Makuta appeared on the surface of Spherus Magna, there were only a few people who could react. A couple gunships attempted to strafe him, but the Makuta immediately shot them all down.

Several squads subsequently attempted to attack him, but the end result had them all dealt with in less than a minute. Teridax smirked as he teleported to one of the few desert patches remaining, which overlooked a city made by the new inhabitants of Spherus Magna.

"I am going to enjoy this."

"Funny." A blast of light struck Teridax in the shoulder, causing the Shadow Clone to stagger. "I was thinking the same thing."

Takanuva stood in the middle of the desert, having hidden himself with his powers. Now his appearance was back to its regular golden glow, aggravating the Makuta. He was holding his old power lance in one hand, and oddly enough, he had the shield of Captain America in the other.

"It's been a while, Takua." Teridax chuckled. "And desecrating the legacy of a dead man, no less. I am almost impressed."

"The Avengers gave it to me." Takanuva actually stood up a little straighter. "And this is where your darkness ends."

The two opponents attacked each other, Teridax hurling a massive blast of Shadow while Takanuva unleashed a stream of light. The two forces met in mid-air, with the amplifying abilities of the Power Lance allowing the Light to overpower the Shadow and strike Teridax in the chest, blasting the Shadow Clone back.

Without the same indestructible armor, Teridax's avatar took significant damage, with several holes punched into its armor. The Makuta looked over the damage and simply laughed, the damage repairing itself in moments.

"As much as I enjoy this little trip down memory lane, you can't win this, Toa." Teridax brushed dust off his avatar. "The game is over. I've won."

"Do you really believe that?" Takanuva snarled. "As long as one being stands against you, you will never win."

"Ah, the normal heroic sentiments." Teridax chuckled. "I hope they comfort you in your final moments."

Abruptly, something landed behind Teridax causing the Earth to shake and send Takanuva flying hundreds of kilometers away. He barely managed to absorb the impact using Captain America's shield, keeping from being knocked unconscious.

Dazed, Takanuva rose to his feet only to realize that a shadow was blocking up the sun. Looking up, he stared into the glowing red eyes of Makuta's gigantic form.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it and reviews are always welcome.**


	32. Final Battle

**And now it's time to begin the chapter everyone has been waiting for. The final battle is about to begin. And trust me, it's going to be a good one.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, Star Wars, Halo, the MCU, Young Justice or anything else that appears in this story.**

* * *

It was the first time that Takanuva really grasped the scale of Makuta's body. Even after fighting something similar all those years ago, there was something to be said of how intimidating it was to be the sole focus of a 40 million foot tall machine.

Due to the conflict throughout the rest of the multiverse, the Republic forces were stretched thin. What remained on Spherus Magna was not nearly enough to take on Makuta alone. Of course, as the dust settled and Takanuva cleared the rest with his light, it became clear that Teridax wasn't alone.

Hovering in the upper atmosphere at the lengths of Teridax's waist were a trio of Supremacy-class dreadnoughts and a large fleet of Star Destroyers, Confederacy ships, fighters and other vessels. From them and the robot body, the army landed.

Thousands of drop pods, dropships and other assorted carriers flew down to the planet's surface, scattering all over with an inordinate amount being dropped in the desert in front of Takanuva. Still others were teleported to the ground, closing ranks and forming even more of a vast army.

Thousands upon thousands of Stormtroopers, Rahkshi, Visorak, and Confederacy soldiers escorting massive Rahi beasts, gigantic assault walkers, low hanging gunships, light cruisers, and fighters. A couple hundred Spartans, Huntsmen and Huntresses. Jedi, Mandalorians and other enemies of Makuta wearing infected masks or helmets. And at the head were the leaders of the army.

Palpatine and the Knights of Ren. The Fall and Spring Maidens. Red Skull, Cyclonis, Roodaka, the former leaders of the Banished and Shadow Collective. And a shadow clone of Teridax's old form was there as well, a projection created by the massive body that blotted out the sun.

And against this massive force stood Takanuva, with the remaining Republic forces either dealing with attacks elsewhere on Spherus Magna, or fighting a battle in orbit. For Takanuva, the army seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon, and he stood alone, with nothing but his own staff and the shield of a hero.

"Is this it?" The Toa shouted, flaring up with Light and causing a number of soldiers to shield their eyes and several Rahkshi to recoil in pain. "Is this the best you can do, Makuta?"

"Your bravado does little to hide your fear." Came the chuckling reply. "You cannot win, Toa of Light." Teridax's voice echoed across the planet. "Even my brother has forsaken you."

...

 ***Play Alan Silvestri's Portals song from Avengers: Endgame for this next scene***

...

At those words, the ground shook once more with a thunderous impact, as a massive structure landed thousands of kilometers behind the Toa of Light. In spite of the impact, earthquakes were fairly minimal, instead only sending up a large cloud of dust behind him and over the field. Despite this, it failed to even dim Takanuva's Light.

"You're wrong."

"Impossible." A noticeable look of shock appeared over Teridax's face.

A pair of Republic mega-dreadnoughts alongside a Republic fleet were there next to the twin legs that towered over the planet, matching the Makuta's height. And as the dust began to settle, the forces of Teridax could see just what else had arrived.

They stood as one, in the open desert. Soldiers from all walks of life among the Republic, alongside the remaining former Separatists. Republic tanks, walkers, fighters and gunships of their own were also present among the infantry. The Jedi Order. An army of Toa, Matoran, Bohrok, Glatorian, Agori, Order of Mata Nui members, among many others. And through the acts of the Sorcerers of Kamar-Taj and Republic portals came so many more.

The armies of Wakanda. Asgardians and their allies. Atlanteans, Amazons and metahumans alike. Benders from all corners of their world. Sky Knights from Atmos. An army from a thousand worlds stretched as far as the eye could see, still emerging from their portals.

And at the front stood their greatest heroes. The Avengers, Secret Warriors, Defenders, the Justice League, the Young Justice team, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, the Toa Nuva, the Toa Mahri, Team Avatar, the Storm Hawks, Samus Aran and Takanuva, all on the front line.

Battle cries, ritualistic chanting, or just plain howling roars echoed over the plains, sending just the tiniest shiver of fear amongst the rank and file of Teridax's army. And like a sentinel behind them, blocking Teridax's shadow stood Mata Nui, forty million feet tall matching the mechanical nature of his brother.

The desert was almost utterly silent before two voices spoke, their words heard across the planet. Mata Nui's was loud and filled with hope and the promise of triumph.

"Heroes, Forward!"

Makuta's rallying cry was much more straightforward and surprisingly quiet, his voice almost completely devoid of emotion.

"Kill them all."

As one, the armies charged. The speedsters were the first to move, the Flash, Kid Flash, Impulse and Pohatu closing the gap in an instant and wreaking chaos through Makuta's ranks. Several Slow Rahkshi disrupted that before they could get too far, but by then the battle was being joined in earnest.

Samus immediately blasted the Rahkshi while several flying heroes continued with their own havoc. The flying bricks were countered with Poison or Hunger, while Makuta's specialized Spartans started their own attacks among Republic infantry.

Tanks let loose bombardments, gunships and fighters began strafing the ground and each other while infantry rushed across the battlefield along with the flying heroes and air infantry. Makeshift shields were created by the Sorcerers and Toa to protect against the bombardment.

Meanwhile, Earthbenders and Toa of Stone, Earth and Ice, created makeshift cover to aid in closing the distance and funneling their opponents. Multiple Rahkshi strains refused to let that happen, and blasts of disintegration, shattering, plasma and molecular disruption was used to take them apart.

The Toa teams worked as a unit, unleashing elemental blasts that tore through the ranks of the enemy army. Stormtroopers were swallowed up by holes in the ground or were washed away by Water. Fire melted the armor of multiple Visorak spiders, while Ice froze several Spartans in their tracks.

A tornado of boulders battered away at an armored walker, with Pohatu and Lewa using their power to tear the massive vehicle to pieces. They were suddenly hit by a blast of Confusion before being struck by Chain Lightning, leaving the Toa Nuva of Stone and Air vulnerable to another attack.

Suddenly, Thor was right in front of the duo, absorbing the blast of Chain lightning like it was nothing. Rocket and Black Widow immediately started gunning down Rahkshi as the two Toa recovered.

"You have our thanks, Lord of Thunder." Pohatu said, as he and Lewa stood up.

"My pleasure."

Thor then charged up with lightning and leapt into the air, landing in the middle of the army and creating a shockwave of lightning that left a hundred of Makuta's soldiers writhing on the ground. Suddenly, the God of Thunder struggled to move as the Gravity increased, but was freed when Superman flew by and accurately burned the offending Rahkshi's Kraata with heat vision.

Similar scenarios were playing out across the entire battlefield. Iron Man and War Machine acted as heavy artillery, tearing apart ground targets, gunships and fighters as they flew past, letting Superboy and Wonder Girl toss an assault Paladin walker into a horde of Visorak.

Scarlet Witch used a much larger walker to crush a horde of Visorak, before pulling a pair of gunships out of the sky and onto a company of Stormtroopers. A Spartan attempted to snipe her from behind, but Black Lightning shocked the soldier into unconsciousness.

Thunderstorms came into being as various weather controlling beings on both sides took control of the weather itself. Kongu and Jaller summoned a tornado of fire that swallowed up several Rahkshi, while Korra bombarded several squads with fast moving rocks before activating the Avatar state, bringing a massive elemental storm with it, while she was surrounded by a sphere of all four elements.

Vision and Wonder Woman tag teamed several flying Rahkshi, with the android using his energy beam to blast apart several of them, leaving Wonder Woman to smash apart any that got too close. She deflected a beam with her bracelets, while Vision phased through a blast of lightning, letting it strike a TIE fighter from the sky.

Doctor Strange and Zatanna combined their magic to redirect enemy attacks against their own positions, followed by turning the terrain against the Visorak and Rahkshi, with several swallowed into the ground by tendrils of energy.

Kopoka and Kualus created a massive blizzard elsewhere, hindering the movement of the First Order. This had the effect of leaving a squad of Stormtroopers blinded as Nightwing and Robin picked them off at close range.

Another squad attempted to reinforce them, but were cut down by Gamora and Nebula with their blades. Star-Lord blasted a third squad apart, leaving Groot to drive his hands into the ground, creating a tangled web of vines that ensnared a scout walker and caused it to collapse into the ground.

Martian Manhunter tore a TIE fighter apart before letting Spider-Man use him as a web anchor, allowing the young hero the momentum needed to hit a massive war Rahi in the face, which reeled in pain and allowed Billy Batson to strike it with lightning.

Another Rahi fell unconscious with Mantis mounted on top of it, her powers putting the creature to sleep. Several Stormtroopers took aim at her, but Artemis dealt with them via trick arrows, allowing Wally to speed the Empath to safety.

A whistling noise preceded Yondu's Yaka Arrow as it tore apart a couple dozen Visorak, letting Junko and Finn dismantle an Imperial tank. Brutaka and Axonn cut through a horde of Rahkshi, before making short work of several Huntsmen.

Trinuma used his Ghost Blasters and Mask of Charisma to turn a number of other Huntsmen and machines against the First Order. Black Canary's power was added to and amplified by Krakua, creating Soundwaves powerful enough to shake a trio of massive walkers apart.

Beast Boy flitted through the battlefield as a green wasp, before shifting himself into a mammoth and knocking a walker over. Wasp joined him, disassembling a squad of First Order special forces with a combination of shrinking, unshrinking, and using her blasters and martial arts against them.

Miss Martian telekinetically slammed a pair of dropships together that were bearing down on Aerrow and Piper, letting the Sky Knight and Crystal Mage annihilate a squad of Rahkshi. They were then bombarded by several Mandalorians, only for Quake to shake their jetpacks apart.

Giant-Man swatted a low flying Imperial escort carrier out of the sky, catching several flying Rahkshi and fighters in the process. He was then tackled by a large snake like Rahi, but Bomonga grabbed it by using strategic bonds of Earth and his own Mask of Growth.

Pouks, Bolin and Jaller created a river of lava in the middle of the First Order formation in order to hinder their movements. Cloak and Dagger weren't so limited, as the duo worked as one, with Tyrone teleporting them to isolated Rahkshi and Tandy using her Light daggers to pick them off.

A First Order Star Destroyer attempted to provide precision bombardment against the Republic forces, only to be torn apart apart by a glowing figure. Captain Marvel was a beast on the battlefield, necessitating a large amount of Hunger Rahkshi to keep her off balance.

Gali, Gaaki, Hahli, Kaldur and Queen Mera summoned a massive wall of Water that crashed into the First Order lines, sweeping away hundreds of infantry and vehicles into a massive chasm that Nuparu, Hewkii and Onua had created.

Blue Beetle provided covering fire for Mako, Lincoln and Yo-yo, allowing the former two to take down a pair of scout walkers with lightning. Yo-Yo left squad of Confederacy soldiers as ashes with splinter bombs, while Impulse ran in and moved them all out of the way of a Kagharak Rhotuka spinner.

Black Panther allowed himself to get struck by a number of blaster bolts before activating the kinetic blast function among a group of Rahkshi. Several Visorak shot paralyzer spinners at him in retaliation, but the Flash moved the King of Wakanda out of the way before sending those Visorak flying.

Valkyrie carved through a gunship with her sword before leaping off the doomed vessel and back onto her Pegasus. Several ground bound Rahkshi and a Huntress attempted to target and bring her down, only for Loki to disrupt that plan with illusions, ending with the squad dying to friendly fire thanks to his illusions. Jerbraz took care of the survivors, all of them cut down by his invisible sword.

Shuri and Okoye were in the thick of First Order Special Forces, with a sniper taking a bead on them from long range. He never got a chance to pull the trigger, as Johmak bashed his head in, before shattering into fragments to avoid a rocket launched her way.

Falcon dropped Black Widow and Asami on top of another squad of First Order soldiers, before flying over to provide covering fire for the Defenders. Luke Cage winced as blaster bolts struck him, but retaliated by hurling a chunk of debris at the offending Stormtroopers.

Jessica Jones managed to hurl a Rahkshi towards Danny Rand, who managed to use his Iron Fist to rip out its Kraata and crush it. Meanwhile, Daredevil and Colleen Wing were fighting a squad of Terror Troopers, Matt easily calling out their positions and Colleen's sword carving right through them.

Abruptly, a gigantic foot ended up crushing a Republic formation, before the second foot ended up doing the same to a First Order formation as Makuta staggered from a massive energy blast, sending dust and debris all over the battlefield. One of the Supremacy class dreadnoughts fired the full power of its main weapon into the offending robot, staggering Mata Nui.

Several of the flying heroes broke off the battle to attack the Makuta personally, but Teridax noticed this and had them all hurtling into the ground at high speeds with Gravity. This left him vulnerable to another blast from Mata Nui, who had just shrugged off a planet destroying blast from a Supremacy-class dreadnought.

Mata Nui had destroyed the offending ship, while above the battle below, two Titans continued to clash. Mata Nui and Teridax had started out with firing laser blasts at each other, but a mere couple of strides had them exchanging physical blows, before Mata Nui was knocked back and they went back to shooting lasers for a moment.

He grappled with Teridax once the Makuta closed the distance, hoping to keep his brother occupied while Captain Marvel and Superman flew towards the robot's back. Unfortunately, Teridax detected them and several turrets appeared on his back, hitting the duo with beams powerful enough to blast them away.

"Always finding followers to die for you." Teridax chuckled as he kneed Mata Nui in the chest, knocking his brother back. "Never realizing that their hope is misplaced."

With his brother briefly distracted, Teridax grabbed one of the mountains with a gravity beam, holding it over the Republic army before dropping it. Fortunately, Mata Nui recovered in time to grab it with a gravity beam of his own, redirecting the mountain into Teridax's head.

The momentary distraction allowed Mata Nui to close the gap and tackled his brother again, the twin robots grappling again as Mata Nui released a second energy blast into the Makuta's face, which was absorbed by the shields.

The Great Spirit was at a greater disadvantage, having to watch his (and Makuta's) footsteps to avoid crushing his allies, while Teridax had no such obligations. To counter this problem after uppercutting Makuta in the jaw, Mata Nui grabbed his brother in a gravitational field and sent him flying into space, before launching himself up to follow, kicking up a brief dust storm in the process which was used to the advantage of Air Toa and Cyclone Rahkshi.

The brawl continued in space, where the fleets of the Republic and First Order were still battling against each other. A number of ships were too slow or dead in the void to react as the planet sized robots plowed into them, reducing them to dust from the kinetic impact.

"So you faked your destruction." Makuta realized, even as he blasted Mata Nui again. "I will admit, I didn't expect such deception from you, brother."

"It really wasn't difficult." Mata Nui countered. "A cheap copy plus some sensor scramblers. It didn't take much to fool you."

"A trick I won't fall for a second time."

"You won't get a chance to." Mata Nui replied as a massive portal appeared behind Makuta, drawing his confused gaze.

The portal crossed distances in an instant, teleporting the two robots away. They emerged in an uninhabited binary solar system, one chosen by the Great Spirit to minimize collateral damage. Teridax's red eyes turned back to Mata Nui just as the green eyed robot was closing the gap.

"Pathetic." Teridax punched his brother in the face, sending the robot hurtling off into the void before Mata Nui got it under control. "You really think you can save your friends, your people, from me?"

"This is the last day you kill anyone, Makuta." Mata Nui replied, unleashing an energy blast of his own that sent Teridax's shields down a significant margin. "Your tyranny, your cruelty, all the destruction and death you've caused, it ends here!"

"We all need to have dreams." Teridax replied, his arm stretching as his hand gestured at a nearby planet. "Unfortunately, yours will not be coming true."

With a complete gravitational hold, Makuta hurled the planet at Mata Nui, who didn't hesitate to use his own gravity powers and slingshot it right back at his brother, who was forced to destroy it.

"No more games, Teridax." Mata Nui grabbed the planetary fragments with Gravity and sent them bombarding into his chest. "This is over."

The Makuta laughed as the fragments barely dropped his shields, then retaliated with a Spirit Vine and DarkForce enhanced energy beam at his brother, who's shields drained even faster.

"Oh, I've only just begun."

With those words, Teridax raised his outstretched arms, invisible power lancing out. As one, a dozen worlds were pulled from their orbits, and even one of the stars began moving to his will. With his hands raised, Teridax held half the solar system in his gravitational grip, coming to orbit around the two of them.

"This is how you end, Mata Nui." Teridax snarled, his voice cold with menace. "This is where you fall!"

The system lit up as worlds collided.

...

Back on Spherus Magna, the battle was starting to favor the Makuta's army. In spite of the impressive fighters on the Republic's side, the First Order and their allies still heavily outnumbered them, and now the superpower's dominance was slipping.

Rahskhi of Hunger, Fear, Confusion, Anger and Poison started targeting the heavy hitters of Earth-16 and 199999, leaving Superman covered in a Poison that mimicked the effects of Kryptonite, Carol Danvers drained of energy by over a dozen top grade Hunger Rahkshi, and Thor confused and unable to defend himself when struck by several beams of Plasma.

One by one, Flash, Kid Flash and Impulse were targeted by Slow Rahkshi, leaving them vulnerable to being struck by Visorak Paralyzer spinners. Scarlet Witch tossed them aside into the waiting electricity of Static, but the damage was done.

Wonder Woman was paralyzed with Fear, Icon turned on Rocket with Rage, forcing his protege to defend herself against his blows. And through it all, Teridax's Shadow Avatar laughed as the heroes began to falter, using his own telepathy to to overwhelm and disable the two Martians in the process.

With the speedsters and several heavy hitters incapacitated, the momentum swung back towards the Makuta's army. First Order war machines turned their attention to the Republic lines, using combined numbers and overwhelming firepower to bring down a number of Republic tanks and fortifications.

Elemental benders, Toa, Bohrok, Glatorian and Republic enhanced soldiers created barriers of stone rock and metal to further aid their allies, but this only made them targets for artillery, forcing a number of Sorcerers to intervene and protect them.

The combined strength of Water Toa, Benders and Atlanteans created a massive wave of water that aimed to drown the First Order lines, but a significant amount of Plasma and Heat Vision Rahkshi unleashed their own powers, turning the wall into steam.

The weather took a turn for the worst as Weather Control Rahkshi created a massive storm in the middle of the battlefield. Cyclones and Lightning also lanced out from the clouds, created by their respective Rahkshi types as First Order soldiers and Visorak charged through and began closing the gap.

A number of Wakanda soldiers found themselves under the imposing gaze of Sonics Rahkshi, who were more than willing to turn their powers against Wakandan Vibranium, tearing them apart and leaving them helpless.

Amazons came to the rescue, hacking through several Rahkshi only for Visorak to turn their own attacks against the ancient warriors. Asgardians then moved to protect the Amazons in kind, alongside a number of Glatorian.

The Bohrok put their destructive powers to use against the lines of the First Order, Confederacy and Banished, feeling more like forces of nature than even an army. Unfortunately, the large swarms had made themselves prime targets for orbital bombardment, devastating their ranks and allowing Rahkshi to pick off the survivors.

The fighting paused when a gigantic Rahi Thresher Maw erupted from the ground, spitting blasts of fire and lightning everywhere. To make matters worse for the Republic, a number of soldiers abruptly came under attack by wild Rahi, Insects and plants, as Rahkshi of Rahi Control, Insect Control and Plant control respectively, were more than willing to use those powers to their fullest potential.

Across the planet, many Jedi had ended up in combat with the Knights of Ren. Normally, this would have gone in the Jedi's favor, except every Knight was backed up by at least two Rahkshi fighting alongside them.

In the case of Kyle Katarn, he was fighting against Darth Maul and two supporting Rahkshi of Anger and Sonics, and losing badly. Every time the Jedi Battlemaster seemed to be gaining an edge, Anger clouded his mind and forced him to concentrate lest he give in.

And every time he pulled out a blaster or other weapon, the Sonics Rahkshi disassembled it, forcing him to rely on his Lightsaber. Maul was a savage animal, the effects of Anger heightening his power in the Force as he fell upon Katarn with savage blows from both his lightsaber and the Darksaber.

Kyle tried to even the odds by blasting away the Rahkshi with Force Lightning, but Maul used this chance to knock his lightsaber out of his hand and him onto the ground, raising dual blades for the killing blow.

Suddenly, the Sith Lord was swept away by a burst of water, alongside Roodaka as Helryx manipulated the water to knock the two against each other. The Vortixx managed to hit the leader of the Order with shadow, breaking her concentration, but the Toa recovered in time to avoid the Vortixx's next attack.

Cinder and Raven were now engaged with Nuparu and Hewkii, the Maidens more than willing to unleash their full powers against the Toa of Earth and Stone. But what the Toa lacked in that same variety of power, they made up for in experience.

This was demonstrated when Hewkii summoned a stone wall to block Raven's burst of ice, before cutting off the Gravity beneath her, sending the Spring Maiden floating erratically in the air.

She retaliated with a burst of lightning from the sky, cutting off Hewkii's concentration and charging towards him, but the Toa of Stone slowed her with a couple of Cordak missiles before avoiding her sword and wrapping his electrified chain around her arm. In pain, Raven was left vulnerable as Hewkii created and dropped a massive boulder on her.

Meanwhile, Cinder was having difficulty even locating Nuparu, who was using his Mask of Stealth to keep her off balance with barrages of Earth, and quakes to the ground. Annoyed, Cinder released a snowstorm around her, locating the snow sticking to Nuparu before retaliating with a burst of fire, forcing him behind his shield.

Nuparu responded with an explosion of dirt beneath her, straining her Aura and sending her flying. She ended up flying towards Onua, who used his Mask of Strength to punch her Aura out completely and knock her into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, Atriox was being swept away on his own wave by Kiina, struggling desperately against the tide while swing Chainbreaker erratically in an attempt to free himself. The Water Glatorian simply ducked as a gravity shockwave passed harmlessly over her head, before manipulating the current to tear the gravity mace out of his hand. Elsewhere, Ackar and Gresh were tag teaming Voridus and Pavium with their own powers.

Ackar ducked underneath an energy blast launched by Voridus' blades, before using fire to melt the blades into slag. The Brute yelped as the gauntlet turned orange, and ripped it off before it became molten. Ackar responded by heating up the rest of his armor, causing Voridus to start ripping off more plates, allowing Ackar to close the gap and punch him in the face.

Meanwhile, Pavium fired a barrage of enhanced grenades at Gresh, only to be forced behind his metal shield when the Glatorian sent them all flying back with a mini Cyclone. Gresh then sent a blast of wind and air that knocked the Jiralhanae off his feet, sending him flying into his brother.

The Glatorian and Toa had no time to celebrate their victory before they were blasted by an energy bolt from Master Cyclonis, the cackling Crystal Mage holding the quartet in a purple aura of energy.

Her laughter stopped when she heard a distinct buzzing behind her, and Cyclonis spun around just in time for her staff to stop the blood red energy blade from taking her head off. Vestara Khai's face was bathed in red, amplifying the effect of her smirk-shaped scar.

"Hello, Cyclonis."

"Hello, traitor."

The orange crystal on the other end of her staff flared, knocking Vestara back. Before the ruler of Cyclonia could try to finish the ex-Sith off, Piper flew in and blasted her fellow Crystal Mage with an energy beam, forcing Cyclonis to shield herself.

Elsewhere, the Red Skull was fighting in hand to hand against the former Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes. After years of being HYDRA's brainwashed weapon, the old friend of Captain America was more than happy to beat the shit out of his old enemy, especially when Steve couldn't be here himself.

Meanwhile, Ben Skywalker was dueling the mind controlled Jaina Solo, who was wearing one of Makuta's masks. The younger Jedi was on the ropes and knew it, hence his pleas for his cousin to break free.

"Jaina, this isn't you!" Ben shouted. "You have to fight it!"

Jaina said nothing as she continued to attack, and Ben found himself in a losing bladelock against her. He leapt back, on the defense as Jaina kept attacking, the Sword of the Jedi wearing him down with every blow.

Luke was unfortunately too busy to help his son, as the Jedi Grand Master was caught up in a duel with Palpatine himself. The Sith Lord was as ruthless in a lightsaber fight as ever, and Luke had to focus on him, for a single lapse in concentration could mean his death.

"You've lost, Skywalker." Palpatine taunted. "Your Republic will fall and the Jedi's light will finally fall to the darkness."

"Except it's not your darkness." Luke countered, before hitting the Sith with a Force push. He attempted to capitalize on that and brought his blade down, but Palpatine blocked it, a scowl etched on his face. "You're merely the Makuta's puppet, nothing more."

"I. AM. NOT!" The Sith unleashed a stream of lightning that forced Luke back, but the Grand Master managed to absorb the worst of it.

"Keep lying to yourself, your highness." Luke replied. "Because we both know you have no power now."

Palpatine's rage reached new heights as he screamed and charged at Luke, creating a shockwave from the impact of his lightsaber connected with Luke's. Every subsequent strike did the same as he wore the Grand Master down, before sending Luke flying again.

Tahu and Takanuva had double teamed Teridax's avatar, with the Kraata powers of the former and Light power of the latter granting them an edge compared to everyone else. Even still, the fight was far from one sided, especially as the Makuta didn't have to worry about his avatar's safety.

"Your efforts to resist bore me." Teridax hit both Toa with Shadow. "Spherus Magna will fall, as will the multiverse. It is inevitable."

"You said that last time." Tahu unleashed a massive blast of fire from his sword, scorching the ground and washing Teridax's avatar in flame. "You believed that you couldn't be beaten."

"And this time, I won't." His fire resistance power left him without a single scorch mark, and Makuta replied by throwing the Toa of Fire up with Gravity before slamming into the ground hard enough to leave a crater. "This time, your resistance will end." A beam of light lanced through his armor, actually severing the avatar's arm.

"If you think we'll go quietly, you're deluded." Takanuva replied, blocking another Shadow blast with Captain America's shield.

"Then perish." Teridax ripped the shield away with magnetism before grabbing Takanuva himself. "As all heroes are wont to do."

A Super Missile slammed into the avatar's face, staggering the Makuta and forcing him to drop the Toa of Light. Then Samus fired an energy beam at Makuta, turning the avatar into dust. This victory was short lived as another one simply spawned from the ashes.

"You really are insane, all of you." Teridax laughed, firing a burst of plasma at Samus, who leapt out of the way. "Trying to fight the inevitability. Clinging to your pathetic hope when you have none left." He blanketed the area in Shadow, this time catching Samus in the energy. "The game is over."

...

The solar system that Mata Nui and Teridax had been fighting in was now a wreck. Dozens of asteroid fields littered the region, what was left of the planets in question. One of the stars had been sent hurtling off into deep space, while the other had lost half of its mass.

And through it all, the two mechanical titans fought tirelessly, heedless of the destruction around them as energy beams and entire worlds still kept streaking through the void. Teridax reeled from another energy blast, before turning his gaze to one of the few worlds that were still intact.

Channeling both the DarkForce and LightForce into it, Teridax used the amplified Atmosian Crystal power to turn the planet into dark energy, which the Makuta then directed at his brother. Mata Nui responded by shunting that energy into another dimension, where it could do no harm.

Teridax switched tactics, firing off a neural radiation pulse at his brother. But Mata Nui's shields were bolstered by the Ignika, and the Halo radiation impacted harmlessly against him with no effect.

"Are you getting tired, brother?"

"Your hope is misplaced." Mata Nui replied. "I can do this all day."

"So it appears you can." Teridax snarled as he fired another energy beam. "But can your friends?"

Mata Nui knew he was right. The longer this conflict dragged on, the more people suffered. He needed an opening, and he needed it quickly. Gravitational forces gripped one of the intact planets as Mata Nui hurled it toward the Makuta, who simply broke the world into pieces.

Mata Nui used the distraction to tackle his brother up close, grabbing his chest as the power of the Mask of Life flowed through the Great Spirit's body. Teridax simply laughed at the surge of Life Energy.

"That little trick won't work." The Makuta said, grabbing Mata Nui's arm and attempting to force it off. "My body is too well shielded and insulated for the Ignika."

"That's not what I'm looking for." He replied, causing Teridax to frown in confusion while Mata Nui at last found what he needed: the telepathic links that connected Teridax to his infected masks.

Connecting to the signals, Mata Nui sent a wave of energy from the Ignika through them, specifically targeting all the Infected masks and helmets. The cleansing wave spread throughout the battlefields, purging the infection and mind control from those Teridax had corrupted.

Across the multiverse, countless individuals paused in their fighting, the shadow that had clouded their mind suddenly gone. A number of them ripped off their helmets or masks, tossing them aside and looking around as if seeing the world for the first time.

On the battleground of Spherus Magna, this took the form of the First Order pausing in their fight, the bloodlust that Makuta had fueled them with was now gone. The members of Team RWBY wrenched off the masks that they had forced to wear, looking at each other in relief.

Jaina Solo did the same with her own mask, looking at her hand in shock and surprise. Another hand entered her vision, drawing her gaze up to Luke, who had a smile of relief on his face.

"Good to have you back, Jedi Solo." He said as she took it, helping her up.

"It's good to be back." The Sword of the Jedi replied.

Countless Stormtroopers, Huntsmen and Huntresses, Knights of Ren and Spartans were free, something Palpatine was quick to notice. Despite the Makuta's control, the First Order had still signed up with him, and would follow his commands.

He knew what should happen. He would rally his forces to serve the Makuta, help destroy the Republic and use the chaos to dethrone that machine and take his rightful place as ruler of the multiverse. But as much as Palpatine was loathe to admit it, he knew that wouldn't work.

Teridax would wrest back control, once more making the Sith Lord a puppet, assuming that the former Emperor would even be needed by him anymore. Any dream of taking control of the multiverse was just that: a dream.

And so Palpatine activated his long range comms, connecting to every single First Order channel by the executive power he still held as Supreme Leader. What he said next would almost certainly guarantee his own death at the hands of either Teridax or the Republic.

It was worth it.

"Soldiers of the First Order! This is your Supreme Leader!" Palpatine shouted. "The shackles of Makuta have been severed! Our chance to repay him has come. Destroy all forces still loyal to Makuta!"

The bulk of the First Order soldiers were more than happy to comply with this order. On Spherus Magna alone, Stormtroopers and Special Forces squads immediately turned their guns on the Rahkshi around them, while Walkers and tanks targeted and destroyed larger formations of Visorak and Rahkshi, unwittingly saving a number of Republic lives in the process.

"Traitor!" Cyclonis pointed her staff and unleashed a blast of energy at Palpatine, but the Sith Lord evaded the purple and black energy before countering with his own Force Lightning, sending the Crystal Mage flying.

The Supreme Leader drew his lightsaber in time to block Maul's own strike, before kicking his former apprentice in the chest and knocking him down. Palpatine immediately followed up with a storm of Force Lightning.

"I will no longer be a servant!" The former Emperor snarled. "I am Darth Sidious, the Sith'ari and rightful ruler of all realit-URK!" The lightning cut off as Palpatine looked at his chest, finding a clawed hand sticking through it, covered in his blood.

"That was your last mistake." Teridax's avatar triggered his molecular disruption power, tearing Palpatine apart from the inside out. By the time the Makuta was done, there was nothing left of Palpatine but dust.

There was no escape for his spirit either, as the spirits of countless Jedi had been waiting for him to die again, latching on and dragging the once Emperor back into the abyss where he belonged.

...

"So that was your strategy." Teridax noted, sending a blast of energy back at his brother. "Break my control over the First Order and my prisoners. I must admit, that's certainly clever of you. More than I expected."

"It's over, Makuta." Mata Nui struck Teridax in the chest again, managing to scorch his armor this time. "Your mental dominion over the First Order has come to an end."

"Then it appears I no longer have a need for them." Teridax connected mentally to the forces that still remained under his control and gave many of them their final orders.

Across the multiverse, Rahkshi and Visorak began to tear the First Order ships apart from the inside, especially when their crews attempted to remove them. Hundreds of First Order warships either exploded or began to crash on the planets they were orbiting.

In the case of Spherus Magna, both were happening, as a Supremacy-class dreadnought descended towards the battle that was still raging on while several other vessels exploded, showering debris over the battlefield and bombarding Republic and First Order soldiers alike. Reports from the former reached Mata Nui, who's eyes widened in horror.

"What have you done?!" Teridax responded by grabbing Mata Nui with Gravity and pulled him closer, before punching him in the face.

"What I always do." Teridax followed it up with another energy blast composed this time of DarkForce, Spirit Vines and hard light Dust. The blast penetrated Mata Nui's shields and created a small hole in his armor, which damage control systems immediately moved to repair. "If they will not submit, then they will be destroyed. You should know that by now, brother."

"And for what? Just to prove a point? Just to feel superior?" Mata Nui spat, as he grabbed some of the remaining planetary debris and hurled it towards the Makuta. "What do you have to show for all this destruction? What do you gain?"

"I get to watch you suffer." Teridax disintegrated the meteors with ease before redirecting the energies of the star at Mata Nui. "The hope of your friends extinguished beneath my shadows. I will not be bound like you and your pathetic Destiny."

"It was _our_ Destiny!" Mata Nui shouted, desperately holding back the star's energy as it started to overwhelm him. "We were brothers, Teridax! And you just threw it away. And for what? Petty jealousy? Spite?"

"I threw it away because I'm not bound by such pathetic concepts." Teridax unleashed another amplified energy blast, which when combined with the effect of the sun, punched a larger hole in Mata Nui's armor and sent him reeling. "While you are forever weakened by your compassion."

Damaged and still reeling from the previous blow, Mata Nui's systems were starting to fail, the damage stacking up faster than it could be repaired. Despite this, the Great Spirit redirected his power as Teridax approached, halting as many of the ships falling towards the battlefields as he could (or at least towards the Republic forces). Teridax noticed this and laughed.

"And even now you prove my point." The Makuta held out his hand, energy flowing into it. "Your final moments, and you spend them trying to prolong their inevitable deaths. All for naught." He raised his hand over Mata Nui's prone body. "Goodbye, brother."

"I'm not finished yet."

And with those words, Mata Nui wrenched his hand forward as his power spread further, the ships he held immediately reversing direction and entering hundreds of portals. All of which immediately opened around Teridax.

The Master of Shadows was bombarded with the ships that he had sent crashing to ground, flinching as the vessels struck him from all directions. The sheer barrage of vessels threw him off balance and gave Mata Nui time to recover a bit more.

As Mata Nui regained control of his power, he detected and spotted another hole in Teridax's armor, caused by a trio of Supremacy class dreadnoughts striking at high velocity. Acting quickly, Mata Nui fired an energy beam through the armored gap, burning and warping the parts of the interior.

The result was almost immediate. While Teridax had spent a lot of time working with the substances in his body and making them work together, the fact was that almost all of them were extremely volatile, especially when their containment devices weren't able to endure the kind of energy blast Mata Nui shot.

So when Mata Nui's blast breached a number of those devices, it caused a catastrophic cascade of failures in Teridax's body. Things got worse as the same energies that amplified his power also mixed together, their volatile natures really disliking each other.

Teridax only had time to widen his eyes as he realized this before the combination of Dust, Gravitonium, Synthetic Phazon, Spirit Vines, DarkForce, LightForce, Element Zero and Petrusite overwhelmed his body and consumed it in an explosion that leveled the entire solar system.

Mata Nui had managed to shield himself in time as the supernova of energies battered into him, sending the Great Spirit flying. He was approximately a light year away when he finally got himself back under control, the auto repair function doing its job.

Activating his sensors, Mata Nui scanned ground zero of the explosion, only to find nothing more than cosmic dust. Reactivating his comms to the rest of the Republic, the reports seemed to indicate the truth: Teridax was dead.

Without his will to guide them, the Rahkshi and Visorak turned feral, while the First Order had sustained heavy losses in both the conflict and the Makuta's subsequent self destruction of their ships. All that was left now was mopping up.

It was over.

* * *

 **And that's it. The final battle has come to an end. I'm hoping I managed to give everyone a moment to shine, or at the very least ensure that their contributions to the battle were at the very least mentioned, but I may have missed some.**

 **However, the story is not quite finished just yet. There will be at least one, maybe two chapters after this that function as the epilogue. I'll get into more detail about what will come afterward in those chapters, but for now, I'll just leave it with this:**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.**


	33. Epilogue

**Alright, now we come to what is arguably the final real chapter of this story. After that last battle, there's only some mopping up to do, though for the people in-universe, there's going to be a lot of rebuilding to do. Anyway, there will be more notes at the bottom, so let's dive right in, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Bionicle, Mass Effect, Halo, Young Justice, the MCU, Legend of Korra, Metroid, Storm Hawks or anything else that appeared in this story.**

* * *

The battle did not end quietly, but with Teridax gone, the outcome was never in doubt for the Republic.

The first sign was when Teridax's Shadow Clone avatar disintegrated mid-sentence. He had Samus Aran on the ground, pinned by a massive blast of Shadow and once more taunting them about their imminent failure, only for his avatar to fall apart half way through his boasting.

The second sign came when the Rahkshi and Visorak hordes became feral, as did the Rahi beasts that Teridax had created. Gone were the coordination of the Rahkshi strikes and the tactical fighting of the Visorak, their master's will no longer able to keep them from reverting to their destructive nature.

And with that, the heavy hitters on the Republic side were able to break free of the traps Teridax had ordered his Rahkshi to create. Superman and Wonder Woman immediately tore their captors apart while Carol Danvers and Thor started frying a large number of them with energy blasts and lightning.

With their heavy hitters back in action, the heroes and Republic soldiers immediately capitalized on this advantage, which was helped by the internal conflicts that had arisen between the First Order, Teridax's now mindless servants, and what forces were still loyal to Makuta of their own free will.

One place this was shown was when Team RWBY had broken free of Makuta's mind control, as had Raven. Upon their release, Cinder had immediately attempted to absorb Raven's power with her Grimm arm, but the Spring Maiden had noticed in time and cut her arm off.

The Fall Maiden screamed in agony as her Grimm Appendage was severed, the lack of Aura protecting it once more proving to be her downfall. Cinder launched herself away on a burst of flame, only for Scarlet Witch to grab her out of the air and throw her on the ground.

"Remember me?" The Sokovian's eyes were glowing red as she approached the Fall Maiden.

The Confederacy and what forces remained of the Shadow Collective and Banished attempted to flee from the battle itself, reasoning that they no longer had any stake in this fight. Unfortunately for them, the Republic was not so keen to let them go, and with most of the First Order fleet gone, Republic capital ships were free to intercept them.

After centuries of activity and decades of eluding even the Republic's notice, the _Intention's Eye_ was disabled in orbit almost immediately. Boarding parties were quick to seize the assault carrier, leaving Laccabeus with no choice but to surrender.

Meanwhile, with Palaptine gone, the First Order's remaining leadership was ill-equipped to lead the Imperial successor faction, and order had all but collapsed amongst the rank and file. No longer were they a coordinated army, instead most had devolved into isolated platoons or squads, to be easily picked off.

It didn't help that although the Republic lines had been saved from having First Order ships and debris from landing on top of them, the Makuta's armies hadn't been so fortunate, and casualties from that alone had been immense.

With the momentum no longer on Makuta's army, the Republic had a far easier time fighting them now. The battle was effectively over at this point. It ended completely when a massive shape arrived once more, sending dust and debris flying all over the battlefield. Many looked up to see a pair of green eyes looking back at them.

Mata Nui had returned.

"Attention all combatants." He spoke with a voice that could be heard across Spherus Magna. "Makuta is dead." Mata Nui said simply, raising and outstretched hand that glowed with power. "Any of his soldiers has only one chance to surrender."

There was a brief moment of pause in the conflict before a squad of Stormtroopers dropped their weapons and surrendered. Another squad followed, and then another, creating a ripple effect amongst the remains of the First Order army.

The Knights of Ren looked around at the surrendering warriors around them. Kylo Ren glared at the figure of Luke Skywalker, who was holding his lightsaber at the ready with half a dozen Jedi behind him.

"I'd take his offer." The Jedi Master said simply.

Without another word, Kylo deactivated and dropped his lightsaber before getting on his knees with his hands behind his head. The Knights of Ren followed suit, officially surrendering as well.

Maul snarled as he got to his knees and did the same, while Atriox simply glared at his captors and said nothing. Laccabeus, Voridus and Pavium followed suit, as did Roodaka with great reluctance.

Not everyone complied with the order to surrender. Some, like Cyclonis, attempted to fight on to the bitter end, and were rewarded for their futile efforts with a visit from several heavy hitters, knocking them unconscious or killing them, depending.

Others like some of the Rahkshi and Visorak attempted to flee into the natural regions of Spherus Magna, with hunter killer teams and drones dispatched after them. The ones that did surrender were immediately bound by the efforts of the Elemental benders.

Bonds of Stone and Earth, chains of fire, cuffs of ice and water, thick rope vines and some more esoteric methods were used to capture and restrain all the combatants who surrendered, leaving them to be dealt with later.

Mata Nui watched this all happen from his vantage point, lowering his hand and dispersing the energy upon seeing that it wasn't necessary. An unheard sigh of relief escaped him as he turned his attention to the battlefields beyond his homeworld.

There would be a lot to do in the aftermath: lives to mourn, rebuilding to do, and so much more. The work was far from finished and the recovery was arguably going to be harder, but for the moment at least, it was over.

...

"What's the latest report?" Mata Nui asked, his body back to seven feet tall and wearing the Mask of Life again.

"The news has definitely improved." Helryx replied. "The last of the major stragglers have been dealt with."

"And we have confirmation that rebuilding is proceeding even better than anticipated." Ackar continued. "Assuming no further disruptions, all major facilities and cities will be completely restored within the month."

"That's excellent news." Mata Nui looked over the hologram while accessing other viewpoints to confirm it.

Months later, and still things were ongoing. The newly dubbed "Shadow Conflicts" had all but drawn to a close, but politics and rebuilding had still taken up a lot of time. After assembling some version of a High Command again, the First Order, headed by interim Supreme Leader Hux, had surrendered more officially to the Republic.

That said, things still had yet to wind down. Despite the official surrender, there were still stragglers and holdouts who refused to follow the new cease-fire, and had to be dealt with quickly. Most of them were extreme loyalists to the First Order and Palpatine, but some were leftover Rahkshi and Visorak, who still kept rampaging wherever they could.

Furthermore, the Republic wasn't satisfied with a simple surrender. They wanted the First Order disarmed of all their higher tech weapons and ships, which was done under the watchful eyes of Republic advisers and ships.

There had been protests, of course, which was further complicated by the fact that many worlds still saw the First Order as their protectors. The politics regarding all that were still ongoing, and they weren't something Mata Nui was looking forward to.

Furthermore, there were still loose ends to tie up elsewhere. Samus was quick to leave, desiring to finish her task of tracking down and ending Dark Samus once and for all. And Mata Nui had ordered forces to the site of his final battle with Teridax to ascertain whether their adversary was actually dead.

"It does complicate matters without a body." Thrawn frowned as he read the report of the latter point. "Teridax's form that he created in Wakanda is nowhere to be found."

"That doesn't mean much on its own." Helryx replied. "Artakha has stated that the energy from the blast would have been enough to vaporize the material they made."

"I scanned Makuta during the battle, all the way up to his body's destruction." Mata Nui continued. "I detected no internal dimensional rifts that he could've used to escape."

"Then hopefully that means he's actually dead." Nick Fury said. "And more importantly, that he stays that way."

"Keep scanning, just in case." Mata Nui suggested. "In the meantime, we still have work to do."

And so they continued their efforts, coordinating the clean up of the multiverse. As he watched, Mata Nui couldn't help but feel hope at this: they had endured the hellish nature of the Tidal Wave, and now it seemed that Teridax was gone for good.

There was so much to rebuild and so many lives to mourn, but the multiverse had endured and persevered throughout this hardship. And with any luck, they now had a bright future ahead of all of them.

...

*The moment of Makuta's destruction*

The landing wasn't soft. His body scraped along the metal floor as the dimensional portal closed behind him. Black and red hands pushed him up to a standing position, overlooking the massive circular chamber.

A loud scream echoed through the halls, fury in its tone as the sound waves caused minor damage to the surrounding area. The sheer potency of his rage was almost visible. His enemies were outnumbered and outgunned, his brother too weak to stop him. He had accounted for every one of his previous failures.

His victory had been assured. And yet he had lost.

Taking a calming breath that he didn't actually need, the titan took a step back to examine the situation. He hadn't lost, not so completely as last time. The failsafes he had added had done their job, allowing his essence and body to escape from what would've assuredly been an inevitable death. And the energy from the explosion would have concealed the dimensional rift that he used to escape.

And with any luck, his brother and all his enemies would assume that he perished in the explosion. His power had been taken from him, his armies would be decimated and all his hard work had been for naught.

Yet he had accounted for that. He had accepted the possibility of his defeat, and now he was free, free and secure to continue his work from the Shadows. Mata Nui had won this conflict.

But no matter how long it took, Makuta Teridax would return.

* * *

 **Dun, dun, dun, dun!**

 **Even now I'm still leaving you with cliffhangers. I was considering having Teridax die again, but I didn't want to completely rehash Journey's End, and besides, after dying last time, he's going to avoid losing the same way twice.**

 **With that said, don't expect Teridax to become as big of a threat for the time being. His army is broken and he's suffered an absolutely humiliating defeat. Of course, as we know from Bionicle, that just makes him more dangerous, especially when he can work from the Shadows.**

 **So I suppose I should talk about my process through writing this as well as Shadow of Order. I'll be honest, way back when I started Shadow of Order, or even this story for that matter, I had no idea that this would be where it would end up.**

 **Truthfully, back when I was writing Shadow of Order, my only major goal when I started was for the Flood to return to their most powerful form (the Galactimind) but I was still working on how that would happen and what it would entail afterwards.**

 **The events of the Tidal Wave spawned as a logical progression from that, which had the additional benefit of shaking up the multiverse and the status quo. This let me streamline a few things, like removing a couple of my more overpowered characters from the equation.**

 **Of course, once that was done, there was the matter of who would take over as the hero and villains. To be honest, Mata Nui was actually kind of a retcon, since I didn't really have much of a plan for him when I started writing out my stories, only considering him when was writing out the Tidal Wave and wondering who should take over as the Republic's leader. Fortunately, it all worked out in the end.**

 **As for the villains, well, the original group I had in Darth Maul, Atriox and Snoke really weren't threatening enough to be that big of a threat post-Tidal Wave, even considering the massive losses for the Republic and Separatists, so I decided to bring a couple of old ones back.**

 **I first considered just leaving it with Palpatine, but while he certainly had a cunning mind, he just didn't have the sheer power needed to play in the big leagues of my works. Then I thought of one of my favorite villains, and well, the rest is history.**

 **Makuta Teridax has both the cunning mind and the raw power needed to become a major threat in the post Tidal Wave multiverse (seriously, the powerset of a Makuta would make them a threat to most superhero teams, no matter the version). Add in his personal connection to Mata Nui and Bionicle, and the choice was obvious.**

 **And I do not regret it. Seriously, I know why Greg Farshtey said Teridax was his favorite character to write about, because he is really fun to follow. So, I had my Big Bad for Shattered Destinies, and that's when the plot really started cooking.**

 **The fun thing abut Teridax is that he avoids being a villain sue because there are times when things don't go to his plan at all, and yet he's just so skilled at taking those setbacks and twisting them to his own ends.**

 **For instance, in the very early chapters of this story, things do not go according to his plan. His original idea was to acquire the Infinity Stones, but that fell through thanks to the Tidal Wave, plus his return was revealed to the Republic far earlier than he would've liked.**

 **Yet he didn't let that stop him, and instead went for his Plan B, which as we saw, was creating an upgraded version of the Mata Nui robot. Now, of course, there had to be a way to beat that, hence, Mata Nui having his own robot to fight him with.**

 **Truth be told, as much as I love Bionicle's final battle, I always wanted to see a more equal fight between Mata Nui and Makuta, which gave me my own chance to write one here.**

 **And it obviously had to play an intricate part of the Final Battle especially with such an awesome setpiece. Speaking of which, Avengers: Endgame was really what gave me the idea for that last battle, and since I kinda screwed over the chances for the actual event to happen in my works thanks to the Tidal Wave, I thought it was only right to make up for it.**

 **Truth be told, I was initially planning on having the Flood make another return as the main villain at the end, but the more I considered it, the more the idea sounded less appealing to me.**

 **I did want a scene where the Flood ended up in conflict with Teridax, hence that brief team up between him, Samus and the Guardians of the Galaxy, but that was really all I felt like writing with that. Especially as I do agree with the reviews: I have overused them a bit.**

 **Anyway, this is probably going to be my last large scale story in this multiverse for a while. After Shadow of Order and Shattered Destinies went back to back with such high stakes, I'm kinda at a loss as to where to go next.**

 **I won't be completely idle with this: I still have some ideas for other works in this (with one or two lingering plot threads to cover), but they'll be much smaller in scale than the last two stories. I also have another project I've wanted to work on that's unrelated to this multiverse, so there's also that to look forward to.**

 **With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this story and reviews are always welcome.**


	34. UPDATE

**For those unaware, the Sequel to Shattered Destinies, "Age of Darkness" has been posted.**


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